League Team
by Bad Luck Novelist
Summary: Sequel of Shadow League. All the old members of the League are reforming, and they are after Ash! When he looses his memory, how will he protect himself against something he doesn't remember?
1. Default Chapter

- 1 -  
  
Running along the forest, the black cloaked man looked back, the three people chasing after him keeping on his heels. A small black Pikachu ran alongside him, cheeks sparking angrily. The forest ended abruptly, opening up to a field.  
  
Some of the Masters and Trainers that had been part of the League had banded together to form a new sort of 'League,' even though they turned out being a very dangerous copy of Team Rocket, stealing pokemon and doing various other things. "You can't get away from the League, Ashura!" they yelled.  
  
Grinding his teeth, Ash pressed on. "The League is gone, idiots!" he called back, "Get out of your denial and get a life!"  
  
"The League is not gone! We are the League!" one of them snapped. Ash stopped, when he saw the cliff he was about to run off. The three Masters noticed it also, and just managed to slow to a stop behind Ash.  
  
"You should've died at Seafoam Islands!" the first of them said. Ash turned quickly around, eyes darting from Master to Master. He hadn't had to fight in weeks...  
  
Ash dodged the attacks from the Masters, frowning. He was rusty at battle from not using his Shadow element or physically fighting for so long. There was a rushing sound, as a tree was hit with an attack.  
  
Just as Ash turned and looked, the tree was teetering and started to fall over-right on him. Getting Pikachu out of the way of the falling tree, Ash didn't manage to get out of the way of the tree. With a thud the tree not only hit the ground, but him. He was trapped under the branches.  
  
The three Masters ran off, not wanting to be around if someone showed up.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Night fell, as Pikachu tugged at the tree. He gave up, and wiggled between the branches, to get to Ash. "Pikapi?"  
  
A movement showed where the injured Master was. Pikachu found Ash easily after that, tugging at him uselessly. Ash moved slightly, his breathing shallow. Ears drooping, Pikachu agilitied out of the tree to go and get help.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Walking along the river's edge, Fidelity hummed quietly, taking in the early night sky. She stopped, when she saw the silhouette of something big. Fidelity frowned and walked over to the object, which turned out to be a tree.  
  
"Oh no! Someone is stuck under there..." Fidelity said, snapping some of the branches and peering through them. "Machamp, go!"  
  
The Fighting-type pokemon, released from the pokeball, pushed the tree out of the way. Fidelity bent down to look at the unconscious Shadow Master. "Machamp, get him and take him to Mom and Dad. I'll follow after in a minute."  
  
Machamp lifted up Ash, careful not to cause any more injury, and started walking toward Fidelity's home. Frowning, Fidelity looked around to see if she could find the cause of the tree falling. When none was found, she started after Machamp.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"He's been out for hours now...I wander where Ash could be at?" Misty asked, sitting in the little house with Paran and May, "Didn't he say he'd only be gone an hour or so?"  
  
"Yes, he did..." May replied, looking out the window again, "I'm starting to get worried."  
  
The red-haired Water Master leaned back in her chair, frowning. "It's very unusual for Ash to disappear like this. Should we go out and look for him?" she asked.  
  
"No, that's what Fox is doing right now," Paran said. They looked at each other.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"...and he was under this tree that had fallen, so I had Machamp get him out," Fidelity said, watching her parents reaction. Belle, her mother, had been listening to her daughter talk while tending to Ash. Her father, Ryder, paced back and forth, deep in thought.  
  
"He'll have to stay here until he wakes up," Ryder sighed, walking out of the room.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The morning was quiet, except for the sounds of the birds and pokemon outside. Ash turned his head to look out of the window. He had woken up only minutes before.  
  
The door creaked open, and Belle walked in. "Well!" she said, sitting down on the edge of the bed, "I see someone decided to wake up this morning! How do you feel?"  
  
"My ankle hurts...and my head hurts...?"  
  
"Ah. Here, this is a pain reliever. It'll help for a while," Belle suggested, giving the small medicine capsule to Ash. He tossed it in his mouth, and swallowed it. "You sprained your ankle when that tree fell on you."  
  
"Where am I?" Ash asked, sitting up. Belle pushed the blankets to the end of the bed, so she could re-wrap his swollen ankle. "Who are you?"  
  
"My name is Belle. Ryder is my husband, and Fidelity is my daughter. She's the one who found you outside." She put a new wrap on, and quickly disappeared out of the door. When she returned, Belle sat back down, now with a bag of ice in her hand. "It'll help with the swelling. What is your name?"  
  
Ash gave her a confused look. "I don't know."  
  
Belle's head shot up. "You don't know your name? What about where you're from?" she questioned.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Do you know how old you are?" Belle asked. Ash looked deep in thought.  
  
"28, I think." he said, "Who am I?"  
  
"Ryder!" Belle said, as he was about to walk past the door, "Could you call the doctor?"  
  
"Yes Belle." Ryder went to get the phone.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The doctor frowned. He looked at Ash, who was watching him curiously. "I'd say that he has a case of Retrograde Amnesia. I suggest he stay put with you until he regains his memory of who he is and where his relatives are. Then you can contact them."  
  
Ryder looked slightly irritated, but didn't comment. "When some information is found on him, we can try to give him what is called a Personal Experience Test to see if he remembers anything whatsoever."  
  
"Yes, Doctor," Belle said, as he walked out. "Well, we should think of a name for you, for until you can remember, shouldn't we?"  
  
Ash stared at his hands, frowning. "How about Kerry?" Fidelity asked.  
  
"That'll have to do," Belle sighed. She brightened suddenly. "How about we all have breakfast?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Poor Ash! He's in trouble now! Heh heh heh! Anyway, this was the first chapter of the sequel of Shadow League! 


	2. Shadow Disk

- 2 -   
  
Ash looked at his plate, deep in thought. Everything from when he was 18 to 5 o'clock yesterday was a dark blur. He knew that everything was still there, but he just couldn't clarify them.....  
  
A voice echoed in his mind. It was soft, almost to the point that he couldn't hear it. "That's a girl's voice," he said out loud.  
  
Belle, Fidelity, and Ryder looked at him, frowning. "What was that?" Belle asked.  
  
"In my head.....there's this voice. She sounds familiar, but I just don't know who she is....." Ash replied, frowning. He suddenly felt homesick. He missed.....someone, or was it more then one person?  
  
"Are you alright?" Fidelity questioned. Ash picked at his pancakes, before looking at the teen. There was a soft gasp from Belle. His eyes were slightly puffy, as tears fell.  
  
"I'm so confused. How can I miss someone I don't even remember?!" He pushed his plate away. "I don't like this. I want my memory back to normal."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"This is annoying!" Misty said, as she followed May, Fox, and Paran, "We've been out here for hours and still no sign of Ash!"  
  
"We know, Misty." Paran sighed, "May, are you sure you don't want to go back to the house? This really isn't doing any good for-"  
  
"I'm sure I don't want to go back to the house!" May said, frowning at Paran.  
  
"Ok, ok, I'm just asking....." she said, as they walked.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Sir, we have of yet to find Ashura. He was last seen here-" the Master pointed at a map. "-and that was when the three Masters where after him. The tree fell over on him, and they ran for it. That was at 5 yesterday."  
  
"Hm. Very odd. And no one has seen him since? No one has thought to look in that area again?" he asked. The Master looked slightly uncomfortable.  
  
"We have searched over and over again. He is no longer there. We think someone might have helped him from under the tree. Ashura is not in a hospital of any kind for being injured, so we think he either has gone into hiding again, or-"  
  
"You are to go find him, if it's the last thing you do!" he snapped.  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Only days later, Ash and Fidelity were out in the trees, trying to pick the apples. Ash was up in the high branches of a tree, tossing down apples to her. "We have enough, you can come down!" Fidelity yelled.  
  
"Alright!" he called, and started climbing down.  
  
"Razor Leaf!" the branch was cut by hundreds of tiny leaves. Ash fell through the tree, snapping branches on the way down. Just as the last branch he grabbed onto snapped and continued to fall, the downward fall stopped.  
  
Under his feet a shadowy disk had formed, and stopped his fall. Ash looked at it, shocked. Fidelity gaped up at him. A pained look took over his expression, as he fell off it, and hit the ground.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
A voice below yelled up, "Pikachu! Pikapi, chu!"  
  
"A-ahhhhh!" 22-years-old, Ash failed to keep the Shadow Disk up. He fell back down to the ground, as the disk disappeared. A few trees exploded with black electricity. "This is not getting any better then it was two weeks ago....."  
  
He rubbed his sore head. "Chu....."  
  
"I just want to give up.....someone kill me now....."  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
There was a hole in the wall of the room. It was a tower. "What was the point of that?" the woman with him asked. Ash, 28-years-old, smiled, before looking down. The Shadow Disk held him inches above the ground.  
  
"Well? What are you waiting for?" he asked. She smiled, picked up the small black pikachu that was at her feet, and stepped onto the disk with him. The pikachu jumped up onto her head, as she put her arms around him.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Ash and the woman from the second memory were up on the Shadow Disk, leading a small group of people and pokemon. The wind started picking up, as red eyes appeared in the bushes and trees  
  
The group stopped to look at the mysterious eyes. The wind started blowing even harder, to howling point. One of the pokemon, a Dragonair, wrapped it's tail around one of the trees to ground itself. Another one, a Suicune, had grabbed hold of the Dragonair with its jaws. The two woman on the Suicune were struggling to keep a hold of its fur.  
  
From the wind, the Shadow Disk tilted and spun. The Dragonair tried to reach up at it, but failed. Ash tried his hardest to get the disk to a level that Dragonair could reach, but couldn't as the wind kept picking up and blowing it higher up. Those red eyes glowed red, as the wind howled louder.  
  
They were blown right off the disk. Ash did a flip, and grabbed hold of a branch, as the woman holding onto him kept a tight grip on his shoulders and cloak. The branch snapped. "Oh hell!"  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Fidelity ran over, and helped Ash up. The small group of people and pokemon advancing didn't look like they were there for a good reason. "Come on! We have got to run!" she said.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ash and Fidelity hid behind the shed, as the group went past. "What happened at the trees?" she asked.  
  
"The.....Shadow Disk. That's what the disk was called," Ash replied, "I remember.....bits and pieces.....things that have to do with the Shadow Disk....."  
  
"What? That's great!" Fidelity said, "Do you know who those people were, though? It wasn't a pokemon that did that razor leaf attack, it was one of the men that did it. Strange, huh?"  
  
"Yes.....strange....." Ash sighed, and pushed himself off the shed wall. He started walking to the house, with Fidelity following him. "I don't like this. I know who that girl is, I just don't know her name!....."  
  
"What girl?" she asked. Ash frowned.  
  
"A few days ago, I could hear this girls voice, but I didn't know who she was. She was in a few of these new memories. Her name wasn't mentioned in them though....blast it!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I will not give up on finding you, Ashura.....if it is the last thing I do, I will get my hands on you!" he stood up, and walked over the window, pushing the blinds open to let some light in. The battered, ghostly white man frowned. It was Kiall. "You took everything away from me.....my power.....my status.....everything, and you will pay for it."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
This is chapter two! I am having trouble making them longer, but I'm trying! If any of you have any suggestions, contact me! And if any of you wondering, those three things in the '*~*~*~*'s(two of which were from SL, if you noticed ^_^) were memories.  
  
Reviews:  
  
Shadow Fox- I'm tryin'!  
  
heath 999- It is an interesting start, isn't it? ^_^  
  
The Elemental Sorceress- Yes, the other masters will get some action.  
  
EjqHorseLady- Yes, he can still fly with those wings. He just has to remember about it though. Either that, or have it happen to save himself, somewhat like what happened with the Shadow Disk. 


	3. Picnic

- 3 -  
  
"The Shadow Disk?" Ryder asked. Ash nodded, along with Fidelity. "What is that?"  
  
"It's a disk made out of shadow energy," Ash said, playing with an orange. His mind was doing flips. It was hard to register the fact he just found something out about himself that was so big; he was able to use the Shadow Disk, but that also meant there was more to it then that...how much more?  
  
"Really? I think I've heard of this Shadow energy before...I don't remember where though..." Belle sighed, as she made dinner. The basket of apples sit on the counter near her, waiting to be cut and used for fruit salad.  
  
"I'm going to go lie down. I feel sick."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"It's starting to get dark! We should go back," Misty said. Paran, Fox, and Lance nodded in agreement, each of them looking worn out. May was the only on that seemed to want to continue.  
  
"You all go on back. I'm going to keep going." They frowned.  
  
"May..." Lance said.  
  
"...Don't push yourself..." Paran added. Fox coughed. They looked at him.  
  
"What? You have something to add to this?" May asked. Fox frowned.  
  
"You are stressing yourself way to much." She rolled her eyes.  
  
"I'll be fine. The minute I start feeling tired or something, I'll come back."  
  
Misty nodded, along with Lance, Paran, and Fox. "Good luck, May," they said.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ash sat up in bed, breathing heavily. "It...was only a nightmare. No big deal...just go back to sleep, and maybe I'll forget about it..."  
  
He slid back down into the blankets, frowning. He stared at the ceiling, frowning. Even though at first he wanted to remember everything, now he wished he could stay the way he was; it was painful remembering.  
  
The sun had started rising. Ash sat back up, glaring at the wall. He got out of bed, and went out into the kitchen. It was about an hour, before Belle walked in. "Oh, good morning! You're up early," she said, pulling the carton of milk out.  
  
"Yeah." Ash picked at the scratch on his arm, frowning. "I had a nightmare."  
  
"Really? About what?" Belle asked, as she fixed breakfast.  
  
"Oh, it was were I was in this tower." He looked at her. "Nothing much. It was more warped then anything else."  
  
"'Morning." Fidelity and Ryder walked in, just as Belle finished breakfast. Ash was already at the table, as they all joined him.  
  
"I was thinking...maybe we could go on a picnic today?" Belle suggested.  
  
"I like that idea!" Fidelity said. Ryder nodded tiredly.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Do we have everything?" Ryder asked, as they stood in the dinning room. When everything was set, they left. The TV was left on. They didn't see the reporter talk about the missing Shadow Master...  
  
"It is so pretty out today!" Belle said, as they put the basket and blanket down on the ground. Ash spread everything out, half stuck in his thoughts. "Let's have lunch, shall we?"  
  
Ash was quietly chewing on a sandwich, when a yell rang out. A small baby girl appeared out of nowhere, peering up at him curiously. She had to be 2 years old at least. He let her crawl onto his lap. "I am so sorry!"  
  
The mother ran up, panting. Ash looked at her, and saw the telltale sign of her being pregnant. "It's alright," Belle said.  
  
"She just crawled away! I told him to watch her..." The woman took the baby girl away, and went back to tell the father off. Ash went back to sinking into his thoughts, new ones added on.  
  
"Are you alright?" Fidelity asked. He shook his head.  
  
"I don't know..." Ash stood up, and paced back and forth. He was already confused. "I-"  
  
"YOU!" Ash turned just in time, to see the same group of people as before standing there. "We have found you! The League has finally achieved what we have strived to do!"  
  
"Run! Go, hide!" Ash said to Bell, Ryder, and Fidelity. They nodded, and ran away. He looked back at the group, frowning. 'The League...!'  
  
He remembered it. The raids, the destruction, the deaths... Ash felt a fierce anger bubble up. Black electricity shot out at them, startling him. He ran to catch up, before they could recover. "What in hell did I do back there?" he said.  
  
Fidelity, Belle, and Ryder where hiding in the bushes. "What was that?" Ryder asked, as Ash dropped down next to Fidelity.  
  
"The...League?" Ash said, rubbing his eyes wearily. His expression turned to one of pure hatred. "The League..."  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Silently, Ash (23 years old) crawled on his hands and knees through the bushes, not even wincing as thorns tore at him. He peeked through the leaves, watching the raid. Pikachu sat on his lap, as he sat quietly on the ground.  
  
A scream came from nearby. A girl, only nine or ten years old, ran past, looking quite frightened. She was being chased by one of the Trainers. He caught up to her. "Come here, you..."  
  
The screams of terror turned to cries of anguish. Ash's eyes widened, the horrified look he had evident. "No...no..."  
  
He wanted to tear that Trainer apart. That man didn't deserve to live! Ash held back, knowing being caught would do no good. Pushing down his anger, he got away from the bushes, and headed back to Indigo City.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
"How about we go home? It's not safe with those strangers walking around and attacking people," Ryder said. Ash didn't dare verbalize his thoughts.  
  
'They aren't randomly attacking people...just me.'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
That is chapter three! Still having trouble making them longer! Errrr, no fair! But anyway, onto reviews:  
  
Shadow Fox- Yeah. Hm, length has been a challenge. I just have to keep trying though!  
  
EjqHorseLady- I'm trying to get them out as fast as possible, so you won't have to wait.  
  
heath 999- The Shadow Disk? Well, it's a disk made out of shadow that Ash can use as transportation. 


	4. Reunited

- 4 -  
  
Ash sat on the floor, rubbing the spotted puppy's back with his foot absentmindedly. He had found the puppy days before, not long after he had literally shocked those strangers...  
  
A month had gone by already, ever since that day he awoke with no memory of himself...All that Ash had regained were few full memories, with the rest being in bits and pieces.  
  
He turned on the TV, frowning. It was the news. "So far, the Pokemon League has been in total chaos. With the League President and well- known Shadow Master, Ashura Ketchum, still missing, operations have been halted..."  
  
That name sounded so familiar to Ash! He just didn't know how though. It baffled him. 'Perhaps I know him from somewhere...' he thought. "Moony!"  
  
The puppy, Moony, had decided it didn't like the fact that Ash had stopped rubbing it, and crawled up to him and started licking him. Ash shooed the pup away, before standing up. Mind set on taking a walk, he left.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
May sat down on the ground. She was started to get discouraged. Just as she was about to get up to go back, she heard a noise nearby.  
  
The bushes a few feet away exploded, before someone dressed in all black walked out. May looked in shock at him. It was Ash!...yet, something wasn't right about him... 'Where is his cloak? He always wears it when he's out like this?...and his gloves, he doesn't have them either.'  
  
Ash looked over at another set of bushes, he put a hand out, and shot a ball of shadow energy at it. May couldn't believe it: he missed his target by inches! He never missed an unmoving object like that before...  
  
Looking slightly put-off, Ash moved closer to the bushes, and tried again. That time, he managed to hit them, causing a small explosion. Looking happy again, Ash turned to start walking again. May stood up, and ran after him. There would be one thing that would prove if he was alright...  
  
"ASH!!!" she yelled, jumping onto his back. Ash looked slightly taken aback, as he stumbled forward. He quickly recovered, trying both to hold her up and stay upright at the same time.  
  
'Who is this person?!?!...and what did she just call me?' he thought. "Uh..." Ash asked, "what was that for?"  
  
"Ash, what is wrong with you?! You know I always do that to you!" May said, keeping her arms wrapped around his neck. Ash gave her a slightly confused look, letting her down.  
  
"Who are you?" May laughed slightly, giving Ash a smile.  
  
"Come on! Stop acting like you have amnesia or something! Seriously- " May noticed the look Ash got, almost like a saddened one. "What? Y-you don't-"  
  
Ash nodded, suddenly looking quite self-conscious. "I've been trying to figure out who I am, but nothing has helped," he said.  
  
"Where have you been staying this whole time?" she asked numbly. Ash looked slightly startled at the question asked.  
  
"Oh, over this way..." he said, turning to start walking again. May hurriedly followed, just barely keeping pace with him.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"We were wondering were you had gone to! Went for another walk?" Belle, Ryder, and Fidelity had returned to the house while he was gone.  
  
"Pretty much." Ash replied. Fidelity looked at May, smiling.  
  
"Who is that?" she asked. Ash turned and looked at May, before looking at Fidelity.  
  
"This is...er..." he suddenly got that irritated look again.  
  
"My name's May." Ash looked at her, his eyes widening. "What?"  
  
"You look familiar," Ash admitted, "I don't know how though."  
  
"I should! I'm Bonded to you!" May said. Ash, Ryder, Belle, and Fidelity all gave her the same look.  
  
"What's that?" they asked.  
  
"It's the same as being married." Belle and Ryder looked at each other, before turning to look at her. Ash was the only one that didn't seem even remotely surprised. "Why, Ash, I swear, you are acting almost normal!"  
  
"My name is Ashura," he whispered. Belle looked at him, worry etched into her expression. He sank down to the ground on his knees, staring at the ground numbly. "but...that means...I'm the...Shadow Master..."  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
"I will not allow any of you to do those raids on towns! I am going to make sure that this Pokemon League becomes what it used to be, and stay that way! If you have a problem with that, get out!" Most of the trainers and Masters stayed in their seats, staring up at Ash in shock. A few crept away, muttering under their breath. "When the Pokemon League first started, it was meant to be for young trainers to see just how well they could do against other trainers! I have made it my job to see that happen again!"  
  
"B-but, M-master Ashura, what are we to do, with our elements?" one of the younger Masters asked. Ash looked at him thoughtfully.  
  
"You don't have to do anything with them. You think you were given your element, to use it? I myself have yet to use it for anything. Its been almost two weeks since I've had a need to use mine," he said, pacing back and forth. They watched him silently. "You are all dismissed."  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
"WHAT IS YOUR NAME!" roared the older Master, Neil. He was trying to get Ash(who was 23) to snap back at him, to attack. Ash stared fixedly at him, looking between him and Elizabeth, who was sitting on a bench nearby. "ANSWER ME!"  
  
Ash's head snapped to the side, when Neil quickly used the dagger to make a sharp gash across the bridge of his nose. He blinked back tears of pain as he looked at Neil again, blood flowing slowly out of the wound, down his cheeks. "I am Ashura," he said, licking his lips to get the blood off.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Ash rubbed his nose where the faint scar from the last memory was. It was barely noticeable anymore. "Are you alright?" Fidelity asked.  
  
He looked up at them, frowning. "Neil...Elizabeth..." he said, "He cut me...across my face...I was bleeding."  
  
"What? How? Why? May asked, getting down next to Ash. He stared at his hands, flexing his fingers restlessly.  
  
"He demanded to know what my name was. When I didn't answer he cut me with a dagger." Ash rubbed the spot where the faint scar was again. May pushed his hand out of the way to see what he was talking about.  
  
"Ash, you never mentioned that!" She had never even seen that before...  
  
"Doesn't seem like something you'd say over dinner, does it? 'Oh, by the way, I just happened to get injured because I wouldn't tell some guy my name! I nearly bled to death! No need to worry about it, it happened years ago!'" Ash said wryly. He stood up, brushing the dirt off his pants. "Shall we go in? It is about to rain?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter four! Huh! Four pages! ::dances:: I'm getting back to longer chapters!!!!! Ahuh! Onto reviews:  
  
Shadow Fox 05- ^_^ thanks  
  
EjqHorseLady- 'Enchanting'? ^_^ thank you. I'm glad you like my work. 


	5. Demonic Past

- 5 -  
  
The morning sun had rose only an hour before. Bell, Fidelity, Ryder, and May were in the living room, sitting and talking. "All we have to do is get Ash out, then we can go," Belle said.  
  
"I think I can manage it," May replied, standing up. She went back into the bedroom her and Ash slept in. Looking around, it became obvious Ash wasn't there. May looked at the door leading to the bathroom, hearing water running. "Ah, must be in the shower then.."  
  
She looked at the clock on the nightstand, before sighing. May slid into the bathroom. "Ash!"  
  
May winced, when she heard the tell-tale yelp, crash, and cursing. "Don't do that!" he yelled, sticking his head out to look at her. She got down on the floor to be at his level, since Ash was apparently sitting in the bathtub after his fall. "Try knocking instead of yelling? I nearly broke my neck."  
  
"Well, since you haven't, I suppose you can get up? You've been in here for at least an hour. It doesn't take *me* that long, and I'm a girl. And Belle and Ryder want to get going."  
  
Ash looked at her in shock. "An HOUR?!" he yelled, suddenly jumping out and scrambling to get dressed.  
  
May reached over to shut the shower off, getting blasted by the water in the meanwhile. She got up and walked out, hoping to dry off. As she was digging around for a new shirt, Ash had edged out and was attempting to get to the door without her knowing. "Hey there!" she said, rushing over, "Where do you think you're going?"  
  
"Ah, you said Belle and Ryder wanted to go? So I'm ready, so we can leave," Ash replied, giving her a startled look. May shook her head.  
  
"You are *not*. Get back over here!" Ash walked over tentatively, looking around for a way out. May dug back into the nightstand, and pulled out the two things he hadn't worn in more then a month- his cloak and gloves.  
  
"What? Why do you say I'm not ready? I'm dressed, I have my boots on. What else is there to do?"  
  
"I think that amnesia has done severe damage to your personality." May grabbed hold of his wrist, and wrenched him all the way over. "Before you disappeared on me for a month-I'm going to kill you for that later, by the way-and getting amnesia in the process, you always said you didn't feel right going out without these-"  
  
She unfolded his cloak, holding it so the hem would just barely touch the floor. May went behind Ash, and, stretching, managed to get it settled perfectly on his shoulders and clasped. As a last thought, she pushed the hood up, so it would cover his face in shadow. "Ah..."  
  
"Don't start," May chided, as she picked the gloves back up and started trying to force his right hand into one. Ash jerked away from her, grabbing the gloves and tugging them on himself. He flexed his fingers, making sure they were on right. She dragged him over to the full-length mirror. "See? You look almost normal!"  
  
"Ha ha," Ash said sarcastically, "May, was there any point to th-"  
  
He suddenly went silent, staring into the mirror. Ash pressed his hand against it, looking fixedly at his reflection. "What...!"  
  
Ash fell to the ground, lying brokenly in a heap, on the verge of tears. May discreetly shut the door, quickly mouthing to Belle, who was walking down the hall, that it was going to be awhile. She sat down next to him, frowning.  
  
He managed to sit up, unfolding his legs from underneath him. Ash stood up, trying as hard as he could not to look at May. "It hurts...so much." He whispered, staring out of the window. He fell to his knees, crossing his arms on the windowsill. May got up and moved over to where he was. "I was perfectly happy being ignorant to who I was, to what I had done."  
  
"What do you mean, 'what I had done'?" May asked. Ash rubbed his eyes, frowning.  
  
"I mean, when I say myself in the mirror, it was like everything I forgot about myself was dropped into place-more like shoved-the destruction, the pain and suffering, the death I caused! I am such a MONSTER!" The window plane shattered when Ash punched it. Glass showered down on the bushes below. "How can anyone stand me? How can anyone even care what happens to me? And why even bother looking for me..."  
  
"I don't know about anyone else, but I have several reasons myself. It'd probably be best if I saved them for later though, Ryder is getting impatient with us," May said, turning and looking toward the door, where Ryder and Belle stood. Ash nodded numbly, and stood up. He walked past the couple silently, not even noticing the looks they gave him, shocked at how he looked with his cloak on.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The water of the lake near them was full of water pokemon, one or two poking up out of the water every once in a while. It seemed that day was perfect for going out. Ash was sprawled out under one of the trees, using the roots as a pillow. He had to keep giving himself a small electric shock to stay awake.  
  
"That doesn't look too comfortable." Ash looked up at May, who had a small bag in her hand, the other hand on her hip. She sat down next to him, and set the bag on her lap. "I don't think the tree is liking that either."  
  
Ash propped himself up with his elbows, watching her. "You're right, its not." he said, moving so he'd be using May as his pillow, "You're a whole lot softer."  
  
"I'm unsure whether to take that as a compliment, or what," May said, pushing the hair away from his eyes. He moved slightly, trying to keep the roots from poking him in the back painfully.  
  
"You never did tell me why you wanted to find me so badly. You said you'd tell me when we got here," Ash mumbled, yawning.  
  
"I KNEW you where going to mention that sometime!" she replied, setting the bag next to her. May looked at Ash, who had fallen asleep, his mouth slightly open. Deciding not to bother him, she quietly watched Fidelity, Ryder, and Belle talk, her mind wandering.  
  
"Hello." May looked up at the woman standing a few feet away, a new born child sleeping soundly in his basket. She walked over, and set the basket on the ground. "He is such a sweetheart."  
  
"Who?" The woman sat down gingerly on the ground next to the basket.  
  
"Him! I can't get my husband to even hold my hand in public!" she said.  
  
"Oh! You're talking about Ash!" May replied, "I'm surprised by him, really. He doesn't usually fall asleep like this. I guess he didn't get much sleep last night or something."  
  
"...Ash...didn't mention anything about not sleeping?" she asked, "I'm Zoe, by the way."  
  
"I'm May. And Ash? I have to twist his arm to get him to tell me when he's ill or hurt."  
  
"That's what I have to do with my husband too!" Zoe replied, "I guess it's a man thing, not wanting to admit being sick."  
  
May laughed. "Yeah, I think it is! Funny thing is, Ash utterly refuses to tell me if he's sick, but if *I* don't tell him if I am, he has a fit! 'You could be dying, and I wouldn't know it!' Heh, I just tell him now he knows how I feel, and he needs to stop not telling me things. Shuts Ash up right quickly. He'll quietly try to sneak away afterwards-never works though."  
  
"You seem to know Ash inside and out." May ran her thumb along Ash's upper lip, watching him quietly. Ash seemed to be getting annoyed, as he kept moving to get away.  
  
"Yeah, pretty much...I've always found one thing funny about him though. Ash can look a person in the eye, I mean really stare them down. A man wet himself once when he started a little staring contest with him. Well, I can do the same thing to him, and Ash will start fidgeting and try to break eye contact."  
  
"That does sound funny." May looked at Ash, who had settled back down again, his hands curled into fists. "I better go find my husband, before he loses our daughter again."  
  
Zoe got up, and after picking up the basket, walked away. May looked at Fidelity, who was helping Ryder pack everything up. "Ash, you have to wake up," she said, trying to rouse the sleeping Shadow Master.  
  
He blinked his eyes sleepily, turning his head to look at her. "What time is it?" Ash asked, his voice soft.  
  
"I don't have a watch," May replied. Ash pushed himself up, leaning back against the tree. "...Ash, is something wrong? It seems like you've been rather tired the last day or two."  
  
"No, nothing is wrong," Ash said quietly, rubbing his eyes. He looked at her, his expression turning from numb to inquisitive. "I should ask you the same question. It doesn't seem like you've been in tip top health yourself."  
  
"Excuse me? I happen to be perfectly healthy, thank you very much. You wouldn't be feeling perfect 24/7 if *you* were pregnant ya know."  
  
Ash's eyes widened severely. "What?! Did you just say-" he asked.  
  
"Er..." May looked around, biting her lip. She had forgotten that Ash didn't know... "I didn't tell you, did I? I'm a month and a half pregnant. I was going to tell you, but you kinda went and got lost before I could."  
  
Ash looked at her, before smiling. "How-"  
  
"WE HAVE FOUND YOU!" Ash went pale, as the same strangers as before showed up again.  
  
"Not again..." he whimpered. They had managed to scare just about everyone away, except for a few people. May was still sitting quietly, watching them. "That's it. You all are going to die!"  
  
Ash managed to give May a quick kiss, before hurrying to jump up and run after them. They all turned their attacks on him. A shield of shadow energy formed in front of him, guarding him from the attacks. Ryder, Belle, and Fidelity were watching with wide eyes, along with everyone that had stayed.  
  
One of the Masters snuck up behind Ash, and was about to strike, when he turned around and used his boot to hit them in the face. He made a run for it, trying to remember what else he could do to fight against them...  
  
It seemed like hours had gone by, and the trees where thinning. Ash had to slide to a stop, before he ran too far. Not only had the Masters followed after, but Ryder, Belle, Fidelity, May, and Zoe with her family. He backed up, keeping his eyes on the Masters.  
  
The vision of a tree falling, of the pain of being hit and pinned to the ground attacked Ash's mind. He bit his tongue, holding back from yelling. Ash looked back, seeing he was nearing the cliff. One of the Fire Masters attempted to tackle him, as he jumped out of the way- right onto the edge.  
  
Ash hopped forward, before he fell off the cliff to his death. He felt a sharp pain in his shoulders, as one of the Trainers slashed him across the shoulder blades.  
  
While he tried to tend to his injury, the Masters and Trainers made a semi circle around him. Before Ash had time to react, they all (using either themselves or a pokemon) blasted him with their strongest attacks. Ash yelled out, as he was knocked over the edge of the cliff.  
  
"ASH!" May yelled, running forward. She fell down at the edge, and looked down. Ash had, luckily, gotten caught on a sharp rock that jutted out of the cliff wall by his cloak, which was starting to strangle him. "If he doesn't fall to his death, he'll die from suffocation."  
  
One of the Masters, deciding that they were getting bored of standing around, grabbed May's shoulders and pulled her back. "You're that Light Master, aren't you?!" he asked sharply, keeping a tight grip on her.  
  
He pulled a knife out, ready to use it. May knew she couldn't actually fight. It was too dangerous. The problem was, if she fought back, it could hurt the baby...but if she didn't, both her and the child would be goners.  
  
She saw the Master's expression change form one of loathing to one of shock, as he backed off. "You are to stay away from her, if you know what's good for you."  
  
May turned to see who had spoke. Ash, somehow, had managed to get back up. But he wasn't standing on the ground as was normal, he was *floating* in midair. His cloak rippled gently around his thin frame, as he stared down at the cowering League Trainers and Masters.  
  
The air temperature had lowered quite a few degrees. Zoe, her husband, Fidelity, Ryder, and Belle stared at Ash in numb shock. He wasn't just floating; he was FLYING. Just as when he had battled Kiall, those black demonic wings were attached to his back. His expression was slightly pained.  
  
The League turned and ran away from him, as he gently landed on the ground. Ash quickly walked past the stunned group, narrowing his eyes. "You cowards. GET BACK HERE!!!"  
  
"Oh, don't look so shocked," May said, noticing everyone's looks, "Its just one of those wonderful things that comes with him being Shadow Master. Ash is so cute when he's hyper and trying to kill one of the Masters."  
  
"I don't see how that is cute?" Zoe asked, as they heard a scream. May looked in the direction they had disappeared at. When it was obvious nothing was happening, she turned back to Zoe.  
  
"Well...ah!" May jumped, when someone grabbed her from behind, and pulled her back. She looked up at Ash, who was grinning. "Have fun?"  
  
"Yes!" He moved so he could wrap his arms around her shoulders, the smile broadening. "I think I got hurt fighting them."  
  
Ash turned, when May pushed his cloak to the side to look. His shirt was torn at the top, the gash bleeding profusely. "You THINK? I'm surprised you aren't dying from blood lost!"  
  
"Oh, thanks. That really makes things better." Ash pushed his cloak back into place. "Of course we can just stand here, or we can get back to the house, and get this cleaned up."  
  
"Let's do that," Belle said, as they started the walk back.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Skin rabbit!"  
  
"What?!" Ash looked at the infant, who was sitting on Zoe's lap. Laura giggled, and clapped her hands.  
  
"'Skin the rabbit.' It's what I say when I want her to let me get her undressed so I can get her into something different," Zoe said, quieting Laura. May tapped Ash on top of the head to get his attention. He looked at her, his mouth curved down in a frown.  
  
"Stop moving! I can't do this any faster with you moving all over the place!" Ash sat still, rolling his eyes. "And stop rolling your eyes at me."  
  
Zoe and Belle laughed, when Ash got a very shocked look. He gave May a very loathing glare, when she looked at him. "Careful now..."  
  
Ash winced, when he wiggled to get his shirt off. The blood wasn't helping matters, as the cloth kept wanting to stick. "This really hurts," he said.  
  
"You know what, if this gash got any deeper, your spine would've been cut in half," May said. Ash sighed, and shook his head.  
  
"You REALLY know how to make someone feel better," he said sarcastically. May nodded absent-mindedly, taking a washcloth and using it to wash off all of the blood. Fidelity walked in, and sat down next to Belle.  
  
"Shut it, and hold still," May replied, as she wrapped the bandages over the wound. "There. It should keep it from getting infected until it heals."  
  
"Thanks, I think." Ash stood up, and stretched. He winced. "I think I'll go lie down for a bit."  
  
He trudged off, carrying his cloak in one hand.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter five! Finished! It took long enough! XD Writer's block is NOT being kind to me... and yes, I know Misty and the others aren't in this chapter! They will be in the next one! Onto reviews!  
  
DJ Rodriguez-It was no problem! Thanks! And, obviously, I did get the email  
  
ejqHorseLady- ^_^ Thanks  
  
heath 999- Thanks! 


	6. Bird Ride

- 6-  
  
Ash rolled over, and looked at the house. He was once again outside, laying under the weeping willow that was only a few feet away from the said house. "I'm starting to forget whether I'm bonded to a person, or a lizard."  
  
He looked up at May, who stood watching him. Ash sat up, his back against the tree's trunk. "I ain't green and I don't have a tail, so obviously I'm a human," he said.  
  
May sat down in front of him, curling her legs under her. "How you feeling? Your back isn't bothering you, is it?" she asked, frowning.  
  
"No. And it's my *shoulders*, not my back..." Ash gave her a thoughtful look. "How's the baby?"  
  
May laughed. He gave her a funny look, his eyes widened. "Ash, you have got to stop asking that! You've asked that same thing more times then I can count. It seems like every ten minutes you ask."  
  
"I just want to know..." he whimpered. May switched from sitting in front of Ash, to beside him.  
  
"I don't know any more now then I did ten minutes ago about the baby." The gentle heat caused by the sun was making both Masters sleepy. May curled up next to Ash, letting him put his arm around her. "We really should try to get to our house soon. Misty and the others are probably worried sick."  
  
Stifling a yawn, Ash nodded. "Right now isn't a very good time to be trying to do that," he commented, nearly nodding off to sleep, "We'd end up getting lost if we did."  
  
"That's true...your sense of direction gets shot when you are drowsy," May said, getting as close to the dazed Shadow Master as she could. "Of course, we could always just ride Fiona."  
  
"How about we just stay here?" Ash yawned again as he said 'just', the word getting stretched out. He wiggled, trying to get his cloak out from under him. "Wake me up when its time to leave."  
  
"Ha ha, very funny."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"We'll ride on Fiona, with Fidelity. Belle and Ryder can ride on Fidelity's Dragonite, and Zoe and her family can use Pidgeot," Ash said, jumping up onto Fiona's back. May gave him a disapproving look, seeing Fiona wince. Fidelity climbed up after him, using a gentler way of doing it. Everyone else nodded, and got onto their assigned pokemon.  
  
Ash let May climb up in front of him, moving over to give her room. Fiona, let out a loud squawk, before spreading her wings and taking flight. The other bird pokemon did the same, following the ice guardian.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
About an hour later, May lied on her stomach on Fiona's back, looking at nothing unparticular. May turned her head to look at Ash, who was right next to her. She sat up, letting him put his arms around her. "How much longer will it be?" Ash asked, brushing a few stray stands of ebony hair away from his eyes.  
  
"About an hour, maybe two depending on how fast the pokemon are," May replied. He frowned.  
  
"That long? I'm already starting to get impatient."  
  
"I can tell." Ash lied back, staring up into the endless blue. He glanced at her.  
  
"How so?" he asked. May sat on his knees, smoothing the creases out of her skirt. Ash waited quietly, tracing invisible circles on her knee with his index finger. When she had finished, she looked at him.  
  
"...WHAT are you doing?" she said. Ash gave her a wide-eyed look.  
  
"Huh? I wasn't doing anything?" he replied.  
  
"Ahuh..." May swatted his hand away.  
  
There was silence for several minutes, until Ash asked, "Why did you get pregnant?"  
  
"Your curiosity amazes me. Because we wanted to, obviously." May looked at him. "You are being unusually quiet...Is something wrong?"  
  
"Nah," he said, rolling onto his stomach. May rubbed his shoulders, frowning.  
  
"You're all knotted up," she said, trying to get his cloak out of her way. Ash mumbled under his breath, quietly unclipping it. May pulled his cloak off, and set it next to her, holding it down with her knee. "I really can't imagine what everyone's looks will be when they see you again."  
  
May slid her hands up under his shirt, finding where he was so tensed up. Ash visibly relaxed, as each knot was loosened. "Does that feel any better?" she asked.  
  
When no reply came, she lifted his head up. His eyes were shut. Ash had fallen asleep. May let him go, the sleeping Shadow Master curling up into a tight ball. She took his cloak, and put it over him like a blanket. Fidelity turned and looked at her, before crawling over. "Are we almost there?" she asked.  
  
May looked past Fiona's head and wings, to see the landscape below. "Not much longer. Half an hour, at most," May replied.  
  
She jumped. Ash had moved, so that his head was on her lap. He looked up at her with sleepy eyes. "Well, that had to be one of the quickest naps I've ever seen," Fidelity giggled.  
  
He stared at the teen for several seconds, before turning back to May. "Would it be alright if I killed someone?"  
  
"Well, how about you take it out on Lance later? We're there." Ash scrambled to sit up, and rushed to look down. "You are such a child!"  
  
"It looks like the baby you are carrying isn't going to be the only child in the house," Fidelity commented. May laughed.  
  
"Ash, would you settle down and start behaving like a MAN? You're acting like a five-year-old!" she said, earning her a confused look from Ash. He frowned.  
  
"I just wanted to see the house..."  
  
"You'll see it when Fiona lands!"  
  
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Ok, I cut this chapter short. I have another story being neglected, and it must be worked on too! Don't worry-I'll be nipping in and working on this one too! I ain't leaving them up in the air for TOO long..  
  
Reviews:  
  
ejqHorseLady- o.O You REALLY like it when I make Ash have those things, don't you? Let me tell you a secret...later on, he'll be able to control when he has wings and not. ^^  
  
DJ Rodriguez- lol, they are being featured anyway! Yep, they sure do deserve each other! And, get this, Ash would be a total mess without May around!  
  
The Elemental Sorceress- I've had it since..JUNE?!?!?!?! -_-  
  
Thunderstorm- Hi! I remember you! ^^ 


	7. Ashura's Little Hideaway

- 7 -  
  
"Isn't it lovely? First Ash, now May," Lance growled, glaring at the floor. Misty eyed him wearily, frowning slightly.  
  
"And the baby," she added. A knock at the door startled the group. Looking at everyone, Paran got up and went to answer it.  
  
"YOU ALL WON'T BELIEVE THIS!!!" Misty, Lance, and Fox bolted into the entrance hall. Standing in the open doorway, one nearly hanging on the other, was Ash and May.  
  
Silence fell over the group. Within a second, they attacked them, hugging the startled couple. Ash peeled Misty off, trying to smile, even though he had no clue who they were really...except, vaguely, he did. He knew who Misty was, from remembering up until 17 with crystal clarity. Lance, Fox, and Paran, on the other hand, was another story.  
  
"Where were the both of you!" Paran said, hugging both Ash and May. She turned to Ash, who was practically hiding behind May. "What happened to you?"  
  
May had to silently mouth that he had amnesia, before it dawned on them why Ash was behaving so strangely. Lance snuck behind them, before grabbing Ash by the shoulders, and pulling him back. Laughing, they fell to the ground, before the Shadow Master hit Lance over the head with his fist, and stood back up.  
  
Belle, Ryder, Fidelity, and Zoe all stood behind them, Zoe's husband and kids behind them. "Um, hi?" Fidelity said.  
  
"How about we go in, then do the intros?" Paran suggested. They went into the living room, and sat down.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"So, what happened for you to get amnesia?" Fox asked. He waited, before asking again. "Ash?"  
  
They looked at him. Ash was looking at the pictures on the table curiously, picking them up and inspecting each one. He set the one he was holding down, and looked at them. "How should I know? It involved a tree, but that's all I know. Most likely the League too, but other then that..."  
  
Ash went to staring out of the window, his eyes glowing a dim gold. He frowned slightly, before glaring indignantly at the silent forest. "I was supposed to just go out for a few hours..." he said, rocking back and forth restlessly, "Three League Masters appeared out of the trees, and attacked me. I ran, trying to get them as far away from the house as possible. We made it to this clearing, and I tried to fight them, but not having to for so long, I was having trouble. Some of their attacks hit one of the trees, and brought it down. I pushed Pikachu away. I got caught under it. They ran away. Not long afterwards I blacked out."  
  
"That's when Pikachu came back," Paran added, "Near crying too."  
  
It was Pikachu's turn to get the indignant look. The black mouse pokemon glared at Paran, sitting on Ash's lap. "It's sad," Ash added, "I barely remember any of you. And I didn't even remember my own baby-"  
  
"Wait, hold up." May said, "Ash, I never told you about this before until just a few days ago. You wouldn't have remembered it anyway, because you didn't even know!"  
  
"You think I didn't know?" he asked, giving her a side-ways glance, "I'm not- or was I ever-as ignorant as you think I am. I knew about it quite clearly, didn't say anything though. I knew you had a reason for not mentioning it in the first place, so I didn't want to make a fuss."  
  
He looked slightly depressed, his eyes a dull orange-yellow color instead of gold. Ash stood up, Pikachu jumping down quickly. Ignoring the looks everyone gave him, he grabbed his cloak and walked out.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Ash...ASH!" May, Pikachu, and Lucia (her white-colored pikachu) had followed after him, looking all over for Ash. "Where haven't we looked?"  
  
"Pika!" Pikachu bolted into the bushes, followed closely by Lucia. May sighed, and walked after them swiftly. She followed the two pikachus until they found the mouth of a cave. Pikachu pointed into the cave, before running in.  
  
May squeezed in, frowning. "Why would Ash be in here?" she asked, smoothing her skirt down before going on. The tunnel curved around for several minutes, before opening up into the forest again. There was a small lake. It was a waterfall that filled the lake. Rocks were scattered all about.  
  
Ash was sitting on the shore, his arms around his knees, which was pulled up to his chest. He was once again rocking back and forth, staring up at the waterfall with tired eyes. May sat down next to him, curling her legs under her. "So this is were you've always been coming to hide?"  
  
He looked at her sulkily. His face was wet, but whether it was from the spray of the waterfall or tears was heard to tell. Ash went back to looking at the waterfall, before standing up. May was about to also, before he dove into the water with precise grace, and disappeared under the surface.  
  
May sat in stunned silence. Ash had never ran away like that before, or in the present case, swim. She took on a determined look, and jumped in after him. 'I'm not letting you hide from whatever is bugging you so badly, Ashura,' she thought, kicking her legs as quickly as she could to try to find him, 'you have to face it sooner or later.'  
  
She felt the force of the waterfall push her down lower into the water. May looked up, and saw she was right under it. Quickening her pace, May continued onward until she hit a wall. Pikachu and Lucia started swimming upwards, toward the surface. She followed after, realizing she had to get to the surface soon.  
  
Breaking the top, May took in deep gulps of air, looking around frantically. It was a small cave behind the waterfall! May climbed up onto the stone ground, and looked for any sign of Ash. The telltale water trail leading to a stone staircase showed where he had went to. Her footsteps echoed on the stone walls, as she walked over to the stairs, and started up.  
  
The stairs went up out of the cave, and to the top of the waterfall. May once again found Ash, this time sitting on a large rock near the river that fed the waterfall, and curved down the sloping side of the hill (it was too small to be a mountain). "You seem rather inclined to stay as distant as possible right now. First you run off to that little lagoon down there, then when I find you, you come up here to try to get away," May said, sitting next to him again, Pikachu and Lucia sitting at his other side.  
  
Ash looked at May, his eyes dimly glowing. He went back to staring at the water, turning a pale red. "I just wanted to be alone."  
  
May gently pushed his hair away from his eyes. "You shouldn't hide like this. There must be *something* wrong?" she asked.  
  
He forced himself to look into her eyes. Ash went stiff before replying. "It's nothing." he replied, "I just needed some time to think, that's all."  
  
"You should have just said so," May chided. Ash slid down, his feet hitting the ground. He helped her off the rock with a smile.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Pikachu and Lucia jumped, when the two Masters surfaced from below the water. "That's actually fun, getting back out here," May said, wrapping an arm around Ash's neck, tracing his lower lip with her free hand.  
  
She pressed her forehead against his, looking into Ash's eyes. They were the color of melted gold. May ran her hand along his chest and stomach, until she felt the smoothness of his belt buckle. Usually his shirt covered it, but at that moment the black shirt was sticking to his skin.  
  
Ash's eyes had turned a dark honey color. He grabbed her around the waist, holding her close. "May," he said, his voice husky, "don't tease me like this..."  
  
"Oh, I'm not trying to tease you at all..." May whispered into his ear, "I'm deathly serious..."  
  
Pikachu and Lucia looked at each other, then at the two Masters. May wrapped both arms around Ash's neck, and kissed the slightly bemused Shadow Master. He gently forced her lips apart with his tongue, not really caring whether they'd be missed, or that it was steadily getting cooler as the sun set. With a wicked smile, they both sank under the surface.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The night had taken on a chilly silence. May stared at the back of the waterfall, comfortably warm in her Bonded husband's embrace. Even though the stone ground beneath them was less then soft, neither of them wanted to move from the spot. Ash silently kissed the top of her head, pulling his cloak around them.  
  
May looked up into his eyes. He looked deep in thought. She snuggled closer to Ash, who tightened his hold on her. "Ash?" she asked, twisting a few strands of his ebony hair around her index finger.  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"How about we go back to the house-"  
  
"Now why would we do that?" Ash said, grinning. "I just got comfortable here...and I rather enjoy the view."  
  
"Enjoy...the view...! ASHURA!" May tried to tackle him, but Ash managed to dodge her, grabbing hold of her shoulders, laughing.  
  
"May, I was kidding!" he snickered, trying to restrain her. May struggled against his grasp, trying to get away from him.  
  
"You were kidding?" she said, looking at him in exasperation. Ash loosened his hold on her shoulders.  
  
"I. Was. Kidding! Why are you so uptight all of a sudden?" Ash asked. May gave him a depressed look, and started crying, sinking down to the ground on her knees. He went down with her, silently letting her cry on him. "Shhh..."  
  
"Ashura...Ash...I'm...s-sorry," she stuttered, her cheek pressed against his shoulder. He carefully reached for his cloak, just barely catching hold of it.  
  
"What are you saying sorry for? You haven't done anything," he asked, wrapping the cloak around May. She let Ash wipe the tears away softly with his thumb.  
  
"F-for crying...I guess i-it's my...hormones a-acting up again." He slowly tried to pull the sobbing Light Master off him. "Ash? Don't leave?!"  
  
"I just want to go get something," he said gently, getting up. May stared at the ground dolefully, waiting for Ash to return. It was barely a minute later before he was back, partially dressed. The only thing missing was his boots, shirt, and gloves, and his belt was still unfastened.  
  
"Here," Ash said, taking out a black and silver handkerchief. May took it quietly, and unfolding it. The embroidery around the edges was done with silver thread, the cloth itself black. She delicately ran a finger over the initials in one of the corners, before handing it back. "May, seriously. *Use it.*"  
  
"No. I don't need it." Ash sat down next to her, pulling her into a hug. He held the cloth to her nose, frowning slightly.  
  
"Blow." May gave him a suffering look, but obeyed anyway. He stuffed the handkerchief into his pocket again, and continued to hold onto her.  
  
"I-I'm so s-sorry, A-Ash." May said, a fresh wave of tears falling, "I'm totally messing u-up your...your b-b-birthday."  
  
"May, no you haven't." he said, hiding his surprise, "You've never messed anything up. If you want to cry, then you go ahead and cry! Don't worry about me, just do what you have to do."  
  
She stared at her hands, before wiping away the new tears. "I love you, Ash," she said, looking at him.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
It was twelve the next day, the sun at its highest point in the sky. Lance sighed, pushing himself out of the tree again. That had been the sixth or seventh time Ash had caused him to go flying into that same hole with a single punch. He glared at the Shadow Master, who was laughing so hard that he was gripping his side in pain. "Lance, YOU are the one that needs to train...how many times have I beat you up so far?" Ash asked.  
  
"Ashura, shut it!" Lance snapped, throwing a twig at him. Ash caught it easily, and snapped it in five little sectioned, before throwing them away. "Err...ARGH!"  
  
He snickered, and walked over to the house. Ash sat down on the ground, his back against the house siding. He looked up, at the windowsill. A glass filled with a liquid the color of apple juice wa sitting on it. Mostly out of curiosity, Ash grabbed hold of the glass and took it down.  
  
"I wonder who brought this out here?" Ash said, "LANCE!"  
  
"What?" Lance asked, sitting down next to him, wiping a hand across his forehead.  
  
"Did you bring this out here?" he questioned, showing him the glass full of apple juice. Lance eyed it, before shaking his head. Ash shrugged, and starting sipping at it.  
  
"A-Ash, I don't think that's a good idea." The Dragon Master said, "Because, I doubt one of the girls brought it out, because they would of brought more then one."  
  
"If you are so worried about it," Ash suggested, "go ask May or someone."  
  
"Ask what?" Ash and Lance looked at May, who was holding the door open. Paran and Misty were behind her. They all sat down in front of them.  
  
"Who brought this out here," Lance said, snatching the glass away from Ash, before he could drink the last of it. May, Paran, and Misty looked at each other.  
  
"None of us did," they replied.  
  
"And Fox couldn't of, because he's off doing something," Paran added. May took the glass, and looked into it.  
  
"Ash," she said, looking at him, "You did NOT just drink this?"  
  
"Er..."  
  
"ASHURA KETCHUM!" Ash whimpered, and looked at May pleadingly. "You should KNOW not to do something like that! Who knows what you just drank?"  
  
"It was apple juice..." Ash said in a small voice, cringing. May sighed, staring at him.  
  
"How can you know that for sure though?"  
  
"It tasted like apple juice." May kicked him. "Ow! What was that for?!"  
  
"Just because it tasted-"  
  
"It's like chicken. Just because it tastes like chicken, DOESN'T mean it is chicken," Lance commented. They all looked at him.  
  
"What's chicken got to do with this?" Ash asked, "Even though...that does sound kinda good at the moment..."  
  
"You can be so dumb sometimes!" May sighed, glaring at him, "Ash...just...go back to your training. We'll talk about this later."  
  
He watched her go back into the house. Ash looked at Misty, Paran, and Lance, getting a depressed look again. "Well, I've done it again." he commented dully, "I've gotten May upset."  
  
Ash frowned, and dropped the glass, it shattering when it hit the ground. "Ash..." Misty said.  
  
"No. Don't say a word. I don't want to hear it. I just want to go lie down for a bit."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
May peeked into the bedroom, silently slipping in. Ash was curled up, sound asleep, in bed. She sat down gently on the edge. Misty had suggested waiting a few hours before bothering him again. "Ash, wake up," she said gently, "I need to talk to you."  
  
He yawned, and sat up, rubbing his eyes. May's eyes went wide, as she gaped at him. "ASH?!"  
  
Ash looked at her. "Wha?"  
  
He yelped. His voice had came out totally different from normal-it didn't even sound remotely like his voice at all. Ash looked at his hands, which where shaking.  
  
"I-I-I," Ash stuttered, creeping over to the full length mirror. He had to hold onto his belt, to keep his loose black pants from falling, and his feet slid in his boots. His eyes went wide, as he stared at his reflection. "I'M A GIRL!!!???"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
This is chapter 7! ^^ Nice ending for the chapter, ain't it?!?!?!? And I now have to figure out whether I should call Ash 'he' or 'she' until he's normal o.O OH well. Onto reviews for now:  
  
DJ Rodriguez-Psst..let me tell you a secret..:Cough::it'llbeagirl::cough:: ^^ I have to think of the powers their baby will have, and all that, but I have plenty of time for that -_o  
  
ejqHorseLady-Yes, the lizard thing was cute! =^.^= About the question...Ash ¾ remembers, lol. It really depends. Some things are still vague, but are kinda there nonetheless. 


	8. The League's Trick

- 8 -  
  
Lance, Paran, Misty, and Fox all looked at each other, then at Ash. "Well...ah...look on the bright side? You look nice?" Misty said.  
  
Ash turned to look at Misty, her glare enough to kill an army full of Masters. "That's not funny."  
  
"Well, you could always use this to your advantage, I guess." Paran suggested, "You'd be able to get past the League Masters very easily, without even doing anything."  
  
"How so?" May asked. Paran smiled.  
  
"Well, they'll be too busy picking their jaws up off the floor to stop Ash!"  
  
"I could do that," Ash said, silencing the others. They stared in shock, eyes wide. "What?"  
  
"You know what is so scary about this? My husband isn't so much my 'husband' right now," May said, "Ash, if you do anything this stupid again, I will slaughter you."  
  
Ash looked at her, frowning. "I never get a break," she sighed.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Now, we need something that will subtly catch there eye..." Misty mused, looking through the closet. Paran laughed.  
  
"How about just scratch the 'subtly' part? Come on, with those League men, you need to be almost too obvious!"  
  
"Can't I just wear what I'd normally wear?" Ash asked. May looked at her.  
  
"Have you NOT noticed, the fact that your present clothes FALL off you?"  
  
"Point taken." Misty took out a black and red dress. The top was black, while the skirt was red. May looked at it.  
  
"Would it even fit?" she asked, looking at Ash.  
  
"Only one way to find out!" Paran replied, grinning, "Ash, strip."  
  
"What?!" May rolled her eyes.  
  
"Just *stand up*!" Ash carefully stumbled up. The minute she let go of her belt, her much-too-big black pants fell to her ankles, leaving her very much exposed. Blushing a bright red, Ash doubled over, trying to keep covered up. May gathered up the clothes, and helped her over to the bathroom. "Don't fret. Here, just take all of this and go try them on."  
  
Ash slid into the bathroom and shut the door. "Ick. How do you stand wearing this type of stuff?" she asked through the door.  
  
"You get used to it," Misty replied, leaning against the door. Misty quickly stepped away, when Ash opened the door. "That's quite a nice outfit for you actually."  
  
She looked at herself in the mirror. The skirt went almost halfway down her thighs. The dress matched the black and red striped knee socks and black, the black fingerless gloves, and the black boots. To give contract to all the black, were several silver bracelets and necklaces. "How do you like it?" May asked.  
  
"I'd rather my normal clothes, thanks," Ash said, looking sullenly at them, "and my NORMAL BODY too. This is just too much."  
  
"Well, get over it," Paran said, "Let's go see what Lance and Fox think."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"You know what?" Lance said, "My sister would've died- and she did- for that kind of body."  
  
"Oh, that makes me feel much better." Ash stared avidly at the ceiling. "I hate life."  
  
"Oh, don't be so pessimistic!" Paran said, "I have a plan for getting into the League's defenses..."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"What IS this place?" Ash asked, staring at the rusted windowsill, the glass covered in dirt and dust.  
  
"You'll see," Misty replied, following Paran inside. Ash, biting her lip, stepped in. A large handful of the people at the tables had the all- to-familiar League cloaks on, the color of their elements dimmed by the dusty air. Some of them turned in their seats to look at them, before glancing at the others who had ignored the entrance and pointed them out.  
  
"What can I get you?" the man behind the counter asked.  
  
"What do you all want?" Lance said. Ash shook her head, sitting down at one of the few empty tables. May, Paran, and Misty all sat down also, along with Fox.  
  
"They're looking at me," Ash said, rocking back and forth. May shook her head.  
  
"You're just being paranoid," she replied, pushing a bead across the tabletop. Ash frowned. May, sighing, looked around at the other occupants of the room. A large portion of the League Masters were actually turned in their seats, staring in their direction. "No wonder!...You're right."  
  
"Hello." Ash jumped, and looked up at one of the League Masters, who had walked up behind them. "What is your name?"  
  
"Oh, uh...Nelly."  
  
"Well, Nelly, would you mind if I sat with you?" Ash looked at May, eyes widened in shock.  
  
"Sure, you can sit with us," Paran said. The Master pulled a chair over, sitting next to the slightly startled Shadow Master.  
  
"The name's Urchin," he said. Ash looked at Urchin, suddenly noticing the color of his cloak-blue.  
  
"You're a water Master," she blurted out. Urchin nodded, and smiled.  
  
"Yes I am. And what element are you?" he asked.  
  
"Sha-" Ash winced, when May kicked her under the table. "-electric."  
  
"Ah, electric. Are you part of the Rebellion? Because, I don't think I've seen you around the League HQ...?" Urchin asked.  
  
"No, no, neither. I stay out of all that," Ash replied, picking at the bracelets, "I've always wondered what happened there though."  
  
"In the League? I could show you sometime-I'm sure no one would mind it, since you aren't part of the Rebellion."  
  
"I'd LOVE it if you would." Ash secretly rolled her eyes, giving May a very ticked off look.  
  
"How about tomorrow?" Urchin asked. Ash nodded, giving him a fake smile. "Alright then! Meet here, all right?"  
  
"Right," Ash said. Urchin smiled, and stood up.  
  
"I must be going, or they'll grind me into powder for being late." Urchin said his good-byes, before hurrying out.  
  
"That was too easy," Ash said, letting the smile slide off into a frown, "He seemed more then happy to offer...something is up."  
  
May looked at him, before responding. "I don't think it is such a good idea to be trying to get into the League right now," she said.  
  
"Why is that?" Misty asked.  
  
"Think about it. The League would do anything to get Ash, then this happens. THEN, a League Master happens to offer, without a thought, to let Ash walk right into the League HQ without evening knowing whether it was safe or not?"  
  
"True...that does sound suspicious," Lance replied, "unusually so. No Master would do such a thing, if they knew what was good for them. I think you should lay low until your back to normal Ash. Stay out of the League's way until then, because they'll use this to their advantage."  
  
Ash stood up, pushing the chair in. "This is not the place to be discussing this," Ash said softly, looking at the various League Masters watching them, "Not with all of them keeping such a close watch on us."  
  
"That's right...let's get out of here."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"ASH! You had just said-" they yelled. Turning and looking at the shocked group, Ash pulled on her black boots quickly.  
  
"I know what I said, but I need to at least try. If anything happens, I'll have Pikachu with me." Ash stood up, and went to the door. "Heh, you never know, maybe he wasn't lying..."  
  
Pikachu trotted behind Ash, as the quiet Shadow Master walked along the path leading to town. The bar was just on the outskirts of it, but was in the very bad area.  
  
Ash looked around, before continuing, the uneasy feeling growing. There were normally at least a few people wondering about...  
  
"Hello, Ashura." Urchin walked toward Ash, his smile widening.  
  
"What? Who?" Ash tried to fake surprise, widening her eyes.  
  
"Don't give me the 'Who is that?' line! We know who you are, for we are the ones who caused this sudden change. Now, tell me, how could you of been so stupid as to come alone? Knowing, possibly, that this was all a trap?" Urchin asked.  
  
"I'm not as stupid as you think I am." Ash stepped back, as dozens of League Masters and trainers appeared around them, glaring. Pikachu jumped in front of Ash, snarling, cheeks sparking with black electricity. "And I'm not quite as alone as you think."  
  
Ash stepped back again, when they started advancing on Pikachu and her. Pikachu shifted into the Shadow Blade, Ash gripping the hilt tightly. When a few of the Masters got too close, she sliced them in two.  
  
More and more of the Masters started advancing, surrounding Ash. Almost in a panic, Ash kept dicing at the Masters blindly, tears stinging in her eyes. The Masters gasped, and backed off. Ash had started glowing a blue- black, tha aura flaring magnificently, barely touching them, burning them.  
  
Eyes glowing gold, Ash advanced on the frightened League, wings unfurling from her back. Handfuls of the men ran, not looking back. He others, either out of stupidity or courage, stayed put, holding their respective weapons. Ash's eyes flashed red-blood red.  
  
"You're going to regret staying," Ash said, a bolt of shadow crashing down right in the middle of the group. The explosion caused killed the ones not directly hit in the first place.  
  
Urchin was the only one left. Ash looked at him, glaring daggers. "Still holding strong?" Urchin said, clapping mockingly, "Impressive. Most of the League thought at the change of gender would weaken your power a considerable amount...?"  
  
"It has." Ash turned to go back the way she came. "Oh, and before I forget to..."  
  
Urchin screamed, when Ash twisted around, and threw the sword right through his chest.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
It was only days afterwards. Ash was curled up lazily on the couch, a book propped up in the crook of her arm, eyes darting from word to word with the same speed as when she was in a battle.  
  
Koga and Aya had been called, and where working on making a counter to whatever had caused such a drastic change. Until then, Ash had been told (very sternly) by May to stay put and not go looking for trouble, since the trap set by the League had nearly got Ash caught by them. Ash had tried to explain that trouble found HER, not the other way around, without success.  
  
Thanks to the order, Ash was stuck in the house, reading book after book. Most of them were not something she was interested in, but it was better then doing nothing at all. Aya walked in, a smile on her face. "Ash, we might have found a way to get you back to the way you should be."  
  
Dropping the book, Ash jumped up. "WHAT IS IT?!?!?!"  
  
"Calm down. We need you to drink this..." Aya gave him a glass full of an emerald colored liquid. Ash, all to eager for normalcy, gulped the whole glassful down. "Now, we have to wait and see, until it gives some indication of affect."  
  
She quickly disappeared back into the kitchen. Ash, finally unable to sit still any longer, walked out the door, into the warm yard. Quickly scanning the area, she bolted into the trees.  
  
Ash easily found the waterfall, staring up at it. Smiling, she jumped in.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Pikachu, getting worried, searched the house, along with Lucia. "Pikaaaachu?"  
  
Lucia, looking at the various photos that covered the tables, suddenly went to the door, and out of the pokemon door, along with Pikachu. They sprinted through the forest, and squeezed into the cavern tunnel.  
  
"Pika!" Lucia squealed, sliding to a stop at the edge of the water. She sniffed at the water and sand, before diving in. Pikachu sped past Lucia, rocketing up behind the waterfall.  
  
The darkness of the cave didn't stop Pikachu from finding his Master, curled up tightly in a ball near the staircase. "Pikachu...'elp."  
  
"Pika!" Ash looked at the black mouse pokemon, frowning.  
  
"Go get May or Aya or someone, please! I think whatever Koga and Aya made is working, and I can't move...eh...it hurts..." Ash doubled over, her teeth grinding together.  
  
Pikachu nodded, and dove back into the water.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I managed to grind out another chapter! ^^;; Feel free to applaud me -silence- eh heh heh heh, no? ok then, onto reviews:  
  
Dragoon knight-Yes, the League did it, obviously  
  
DJ Rodriguez- You're making me blush here =^.^=  
  
ejqHorseLady- IT is VERY odd. His being a girl was SUPPOSE to last longer, but I decided to not torture him or myself any longer o.O 


	9. Runaway Shadow

- 9 -  
  
Pikachu's ears drooped, as the shadow pokemon looked at the door uneasily. Quickly looking around, Pikachu jumped off the couch and snuck in. "Pikapii?"  
  
Ash turned and looked at Pikachu, who jumped up on the bed. "Pika...chu? What are you doing in here?" she asked, before taking a sharp intake of breath. "Go...just...go."  
  
Whimpering, Pikachu jumped down and left. "Oh, what is wrong Pikachu?" May asked, letting Pikachu crawl onto her lap.  
  
"Pikapi, chuu?"  
  
"He'll be ok," May said, petting the pokemon gently on the head, "It's just a bit painful, that's all."  
  
Misty frowned, before looking at May. "How much time do you think it will take?"  
  
"A few hours.." May replied, hugging Pikachu and Lucia. "It'll be painful too...not only does he have to regain his height; everything about him has to change again. The only reason he didn't notice it before was because he had been asleep."  
  
"Then we'll need to put him asleep." Aya had entered the room, holding a glass of clear liquid, "It'll put Ash out long enough for him to totally change, and for the shock to wear off maybe. May, why don't you give it to Ash?"  
  
Nodding, May took the glass and went to give it to Ash. She sat on the edge of the bed. "Ash, I need you to drink this.."  
  
Her heart broke, at the pained look Ash gave her. "What...will it do?" Ash asked, gasping.  
  
"Just put you to sleep for a few hours," May said, helping her sit up. Ash drank the liquid with an almost unbelievable haste, not bothering to complain about the horrible taste of it, and was almost immediately out like a light.  
  
Smiling, May put the glass on the table and left quietly.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hours went by in silence. Not even Pikachu bothered the sleeping Shadow Master. Ash blinked, still feeling sleepy from being out so long. "May..." he mumbled weakly, knowing she could not hear him. "May...?"  
  
Having failed, Ash looked at the glass sitting on the table. Slowly, he took hold of it, and picked it up. He threw it at the closed door. Strength near nothing, it barely managed to get to the door and shatter against it. Ash took a deep breath, and waited for someone to take notice of the little noise.  
  
When no one did, Ash, grinding his teeth, tried to get up. He sat up, hunched over slightly, and hesitated. "May? Lance? Pikachu?" Ash said, hoping someone would notice him.  
  
Growling in frustration, Ash shoved himself out of bed. He toppled over, and fell flat on his face on the floor with a thud, blankets and all, because he had forgotten to get untangled from them before getting up. Ash heard footsteps coming closer and the door opening.  
  
"Ash!" He heard the glass crunch under her feet, as May ran over to him. "Are you alright?"  
  
"I'm just sore," Ash said, getting up with May's help. He sat down on the bed, watching her get some clothes out for him, since he had none on. Ash gave her an embarrassed smile, when she set them down on the bed next to him. "Could you..help me? That is...unless you *want* me to stay this way?"  
  
"If it weren't for the fact Misty and the others stay here...I'd say go on ahead. But sense they are, let's get you dressed."  
  
"May?" he asked, painfully getting his boxers on, and flopping back down on the bed. "Why do you put up with me? I get you in so much trouble...it seems you'd be better off without me..."  
  
She looked at him, her look stern. "I wouldn't be better off without you!" May said, "Ash, before I found you again, you know what I was doing? Just wandering...living half in a nightmare and half in a daydream! When I saw you..it brought me down to reality. You were like the persona of life and death itself. SO much had happened to you. Things that would normally break a person...yet you held onto your sanity and your life."  
  
"I'm not sane, May. If I were, I wouldn't be having some mini-war with the League...May, it's my fault! If I had never joined the League..."  
  
"You never would of met Elizabeth, which meant I'd never of found you, which also would of meant this baby would never be born." May swept the hair away from his eyes with her hand.  
  
"Because of me, all of you are in danger. If I wasn't around, the League would leave you all alone." Ash pulled on his shirt, gently shaking his head to get his hair loose. Fully dressed, he struggled to get up, failed, and fell back down.  
  
"Why don't you try to sleep some more? Your body isn't fully out of shock yet," May said, getting out of the way so Ash could swing his legs up onto the bed. "When you get up, I'll get you dinner."  
  
"Yes, May," Ash said, getting back under the blankets, which May had put back on the bed, "You sure?"  
  
"I'm sure. I'm happy with you, and nothing will change that." she replied, "Now, try to get some rest, and stop worrying about something that isn't there."  
  
Ash nodded, and let himself sink down into the shadows of sleep.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
It seemed like only days had gone by, when it was actually weeks in reality, to Ash. He was starting to get uneasy, as there was no indication from the League that they even existed. No matter what anyone said, he knew something was up.  
  
Ash, finally deciding that reading would be better then worrying, sprawled out on the couch. His eyes darted from left to right, each line of text almost endless.  
  
"What's that your reading, Ash?" Paran asked, trying to peek at the cover of the book. Ash looked at her.  
  
"I have no clue." He laughed, before looking at the cover. "I had just picked it up and started re-"  
  
Ash's eyes went wide, before he slowly closed the book and set it down on the table, turning a bright red. Paran giggled, and picked it up. "Oh! You naughty, naughty boy! You were actually reading this?"  
  
"Sadly yes. I had just stole it from Lance, since he hasn't even looked at it in what, 10 years?" Ash said, "I was wondering why-"  
  
"Ash, how much are you willing to pay for me NOT to tell May you were reading this?" she teased. Ash scowled, and sighed.  
  
"I'll kill you if you tell her." Paran laughed.  
  
"Tell me about what?" Ash jumped, and looked up at May. He gave her an innocent, small smile.  
  
"Nothing. It's nothing," he said, moving so May could sit down. She was finally showing signs (besides the obvious morning sickness and other symptoms) of being with child.  
  
"I'll take your word on that..." she said, kissing him on the lips.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The afternoon sun had finally set, leaving the inky black of evening. Lance, Misty, Paran, and Fox sat in the remaining seats of the living room. Ash and May had both fallen asleep on the couch.  
  
Fox got up, when the doorbell rang shrilly. He returned several minutes later, a nervous looking woman following him. Ash yawned, stretching out to get the stiffness out. She watched him silently, before saying, "Ashura?"  
  
Ash opened one eye, before opening both wide. May, who had been fighting to stay asleep even with Ash's squirming, finally woke up. "It can't be you..." he said quietly.  
  
Over the weeks, he had made a complete recovery from his amnesia, each memory clear as crystal again. And this mystery woman was no exception to that. "Ariel."  
  
"It is good to see you again, Ash," Ariel said, pushing her blonde hair back. Ash stared at her, his eyes narrowing.  
  
"What are you doing here?" he asked harshly. His hands where balled into fist. Ariel sat on the floor, legs bent under her. "And how in the world did you find me?"  
  
"Ash...?" May said questioningly, before looking at Ariel.  
  
"Oh, I am sorry. My name is Ariel Huntington. I-"  
  
"She used to travel with me." They looked at Ash, who had gotten up and was standing with his back to them.  
  
"What?" Lance said, "I'd always thought you traveled with no one, until you met up with us."  
  
"Well, she FORCED herself on me, in a way," Ash replied, looking at them. Ariel frowned prettily.  
  
"Forced myself on you? You said I could come, after we-" Ariel started. Ash growled deep in his throat, the sound so quiet yet was easily heard. She stopped, staring at him with wide eyes.  
  
"I was just a toy to be played with to you, remember? You said so yourself. And I was lucky as hell I was in that depression, so where you. I also stayed a toy until I got into the League, when I figured out there was no way I'd get anywhere in such a state, and then life decided to spit in my face and make me look at things the way they were."  
  
"You took it the wrong way." She said quietly, tears forming in her eyes. Her voice shook slightly. "I said you where a toy...because you were so easily used. I wanted you to see it, so you could stop it from happening."  
  
"Oh yes? How, by doing the same thing to me?" Ash asked bitterly, his eyes narrowed. "You all want to know what happened? I met her in Celadon, had been drinking, spent the night with her, then it ended up that I needed to go, she hung onto me for dear life. I TOLD you that I was a danger to myself let alone anyone else, that you where to stay away from me, you'd get hurt, but did you? NO! You followed after me, so I just gave up trying to get away from you. You call that letting you come?"  
  
They all were silent, except for Pikachu, who would make a random noise every now and then. "Ash-" Ariel started.  
  
"And then, then it got *real* good! You wanted to again! And you did everything in your power to make me agree, knowing at the state I had been in, it wouldn't take much at all to get me to say 'Fine, whatever, do what you want.'!" he continued, his teeth clenched together. "Would you just go away?!"  
  
She stood up abruptly. "Ashura, there is one thing you have forgotten," Ariel said, wiping the tears away, "You were the one that always ended up breaking down, the one who was slowly killing himself...and you still are. Someday that will be your destruction."  
  
Nodding to the others, she departed. The silence held strong for several minutes, until Ash finally said, "I'm just..finished. I'm going to bed."  
  
He got up and disappeared into the hall.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ash stared at the ceiling, the pitch-black darkness not even bothering him. He closed his eyes and turned onto his side, when he heard the soft footsteps outside the door and voices.  
  
The door opened and shut quietly. Ash opened one eye so he could see what was going on. He quickly shut it, when May had finally found her way across the room and gotten into bed.  
  
He tensed up slightly, but forced himself to relax, when she wrapped an arm around him, her head against where his shoulder blades where. Ash bit his lower lip.  
  
When he felt it was safe to assume the others where all in bed and sound asleep, Ash slowly and carefully peeled May off. She protested to the movement softly in her sleep. Ash silenced her, gently kissing her on the cheek.  
  
Ash quietly pulled on his loose black pants and shirt, before grabbing his gloves and putting them on. He sat down on the floor, and put his socks on. Slowly letting out the breath he had been holding, Ash picked up his boots and backpack, which he had stashed under the bed so he could get to it easily yet not get May suspicious.  
  
Opening the door, Ash looked at May. He pursed his lips, his eyes stinging painfully. "I'm sorry," he whispered, before shutting the door behind him.  
  
"Pikapii, pikachu...?" Pikachu sleepily watched Ash pull his boots on, and settle the backpack on his shoulder over the black cloak covering his thin, athletic frame. He had understood Pikachu's question perfectly: do we have to do this?  
  
He nodded sadly. Ash unlocked the front door, and let Pikachu climb into his backpack, head poking out of the top, before exiting. He looked up at the house, half shrouded in darkness from the surrounding trees, and frowned.  
  
The tears he had been holding off finally fell. Ash fell to his knees, shoulders shaking. Calming himself, he got back up and slipped into the shadows of the forest, his decision finalized.  
  
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Reviews:  
  
dark Dante-yes, Paran and Fox are paired up, but I just haven't gone into it that much yet. o_O  
  
ejqHorseLady- Just you wait, demonic Ash shall make another arrival later on, mwahahaha...XD 


	10. The League's Big Mistake

- 10 -  
  
"HOW COULD HE DO THIS AGAIN?!" Lance and Fox winced. They looked at each other, then at the three women sitting at the table. May was a total wreck, shaking in anger and sadness. Misty and Paran where doing everything to calm her, giving each other worried glances.  
  
"May, you have to settle down!" Misty said. May glared at her, before totally breaking down. She started crying, squeezing Lucia tightly.  
  
"Why...why does he have to do this?" shed asked, "Any time the League gets involved..."  
  
Paran smoothed back a few strands of blonde hair that had fallen into her face. "He thinks he is just causing more problems then anything else, and thinks leaving will solve it," she said, frowning, "Ash is one odd guy..."  
  
May wiped the tears away, before saying. "I...I think I'll go lie down for awhile," May said, getting up, she pushed the chair in and continued onto the bedroom.  
  
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Ash near dragged himself along, staring at the ground wistfully. His eyes had turned a dull yellow color, the light that usually shone from them totally out. Pikachu sat on his shoulder, just as dead as his Master.  
  
Stopping, Ash looked up at the trees and sky. "I never thought I'd have to leave her again," he said softly to no one, "It..needed to be done. It was the right thing to do, it'll keep them safe..."  
  
He frowned, before continuing. Ash mentally kicked him, knowing trying to convince himself would go no where but to more agony. Pikachu crawled into his backpack, and disappeared inside it.  
  
"Whatever the League is planning, they'll need to find me to do it," Ash said dully, before climbing up into one of the trees. Some Shadow Pokemon still lurked around, even though the gates where long shut and sealed. He crossed his legs at his ankles. Sighing, Ash smoothed his cloak down on across his thighs.  
  
"Pikapii..." the Shadow Pikachu curled up on Ash's lap, staring at him with big blue eyes. The small mouse knew his Master's pain all too well, being psychically linked to him and felt just about every emotion Ash had. Only at certain times did Ash break the link, knowing Pikachu would suffer feeling it along with him.  
  
Ash ran a hand through his hair, before pulling the hair band out and putting it on his wrist. He was too depressed and drained to break the connection, and knew that every time he tried he'd just farther weaken himself. Pikachu flattened his ears against his head, snuggling into the thick material of Ash's cloak for warmth from the chilly air.  
  
"I've become such a softie..." Ash said softly, his eyes beginning to glow softly, "I hate this, Pikachu. I preferred being the depressed, killing machine Shadow Master called Shadow Assassin Ashura."  
  
"Chu..." Pikachu mumbled, looking up at the saddened man. Ash smiled slightly.  
  
"That's true...I still am. But now I am head of the Pokemon League, trying to rebuild what the League and Kiall destroyed, and having it tore right back down again by the same damned League..how did they gain so many new Masters and Trainers? Even though...it has been quite a few months, nearly a year since..." Ash went silent.  
  
"Pikachu, pi..." the Shadow Pokemon went silent, as it yawned. Ash frowned slightly.  
  
"Well...anyway, I hope the League tries to put into action their plan, so I can get back home soon. I want to get back to May, and our baby...ugh, there goes that softie side again." Pikachu snickered, hiding in the folds of Ash's cloak to keep from seeing the glare he gave the small mouse pokemon.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Sir, what do you suggest we do?" the Masters and Trainers asked timidly. Kiall stared at them with cold eyes, his expression hardening.  
  
"We need to get Ashura to come at us with all he's got, but that means provoking him...hm." Kiall got up, and paced in front of them, one thin white hand cupping his chin. "Get the Light Master. She might just be the key we need to get him enraged enough to attack us."  
  
"Yes, sir." "Right away, sir." They scampered out of the room. Kiall sat back down, looking at the wall opposite him in disdain.  
  
"Ashura, you shall be mine soon enough."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"JUST BEND! MAKE SOME TYPE OF MOVEMENT!" Ash continued his multitude of punches and kicks on the tree, trying to build up his strength. He had thought that when the Guardians had put him and Mazin back in one piece, it'd raise his power stats, but it hadn't. He came to a theory about it: for him to be able to use the extra power, he must NEED to use it. Ash smiled; the irony in that was stupendous, because that is exactly how Mazin worked. Someone or something had to get enough rage built up in him for his counter-part to take control.  
  
It had been weeks since he had left, and there was still no sight or sound of the League. It made him feel even uneasier then before; what was taking them so long?  
  
Pikachu watched quietly, munching down on the apple. Ash stopped, his shoulders rising and falling rapidly with each heavy breath. He had been attacking the tree for the last five hours. Sighing, Ash rubbed his sore hands together, the finger-less black gloves not even looking the tiniest bit torn from the abuse they took. "Pikachu, pikapi, chuuu?"  
  
Ash dropped his arms to the side, his breathing slowed to a normal pace. A prickling feeling at the back of his mind had started nagging at him several minutes before. "I have a bad feeling..." Ash said, sitting down on the ground to rest, "...a VERY bad feeling."  
  
He stood up, and looked around. Looking down, a thin mist of shadow rose from around him. It rose to up to his shoulders, and turned into the cloth of his black cloak. After smoothing out the creases of the cloak, he shouldered the backpack. Ash silently ran through the forest, the foliage under his feet crunching from the weight. The nagging feeling kept growing as he moved.  
  
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May clutched onto the tree, staring at the entrance to the cave. Lucia stood on her small hind legs, ears twitching, before she jumped up onto May's shoulders. "Piiikkaaa," Lucia said, biting at her ear.  
  
"Lucia, stop-" May went wide-eyed, when a dart of rock just barely missed her by inches. She turned on her heel, cloak whipping about, and stared at the small army of League Masters standing there.  
  
Most of the color in her face drained out. Lucia's cheeks sparked threateningly, green eyes flashing. One of the Master's smirked. "Don't try it, rat. Even if you are the Light pikachu, you can't beat us all. Not even Ashura could defeat us that easily."  
  
Lucia let the energy fad out, before backing into May's feet. She picked up the pokemon, before turning to run. May knew both her elements where shot at the moment, and that staying to fight without backup would be suicide.  
  
"Oh no you don't, Light Master. You are coming with us..." one of the women said, a whip made out of electricity wrapped around her slim frame. May squirmed and fought against the sizzling whip. Her Ice side reacted to the whip, the pain running through her nearly knocking her unconscious.  
  
With a soft squeal, Lucia was bound up also. May glared at them. She tried to make her ice dagger form. She felt the energy start building up in her hands, then nothing. It stopped.  
  
May got a shocked look, before realizing her Ice element had been blocked. 'Try Light then...' she thought, as she tried to channel it.  
  
Still, nothing happened, not even the power up. May nearly cried. Both Light and Ice where blocked from use (how that was possible, she didn't know), and the League had her in their grip, and Lucia was tied up. There was only one thing to do. "Lucia, use Holy Blade!" she ordered.  
  
The mouse pokemon, in a flash of light, morphed into the Holy Blade, a curved sword with a blade of Light. May held it by the hilt, and broke the whip of electricity. "I'm not going without a fight," she said dangerously.  
  
An eerie silence hung over the army, before they all burst out laughing. May glared at them, before one of them said, "You? Fight us? HA! I doubt you'd have the strength for it, since Ashura was always the one protecting you and fighting the fights for you."  
  
May ran at the Master, and swung the blade at him. He dodged, and took out his own weapon. Another of the Masters suddenly came up behind her and grabbed her shoulders. She squirmed, and tried using the Holy Blade and stab him with it. Another of them grabbed the blade and pulled it right out of her grip.  
  
She bit her lip, holding back from crying. 'Perfect time not to be able to fight properly.' she thought ruefully, 'Please, Ash...please come back.'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ash felt the lingering elements in the air. His senses where going haywire from just the left over elemental energy. He blinked, and peered around the tree, carefully staying hidden from view in the shadows.  
  
He looked at the nearby settlement, where people where working to rebuild it. Ash's eyes went wide, as they started glowing gold. "I can't believe it...they are doing the raids still!"  
  
'My Pokemon League was just making progress ahead of them too...' he thought, frowning in exasperation. Pulling his cloak tighter around him, Ash continued on, knowing the League Army that had done the raid couldn't be far away. He stayed low to the ground, cloak fluttering gently in the breeze.  
  
All to soon, the sound of voices and laughter could be heard. Ash dropped down onto his front, staring out at them from the underbrush. He narrowed his eyes, when he saw the guards standing in boredom nearby. There were three of them in all.  
  
Ash carefully picked up a rock next to him, and tossed it into the bushes several feet behind him and to the right. The guards looked up, before looking at each other. What appeared to be the youngest of them said something and trotted into the trees to search for the cause of the sound.  
  
Smirking, Ash silently followed him until they were deeper into the forest. He got up behind the Master and took a dagger out and put it to the guard's throat. Gurgling, he looked at Ash, fear shining in his dark eyes.  
  
"Well now..." Ash said, his voice as emotionless as he could get it. There was still that slight worried tone to his voice he just couldn't get rid of. "What is the League up to, hmm? Tell me and I might let you go without a scratch."  
  
"I-I only know they are going after this one girl...the L-Light Master, I think!" the young guard stuttered, staring. Ash scowled. He took the dagger away, and put it in his cloak. The guard looked at him. When he saw Ash make a small gesture with his hand to go, he took off.  
  
"Oh, by the way," Ash added with a cruel, humorless smile, "Tell them I said 'hi.'"  
  
The guard looked back at him, before continuing to run off. Ash looked at Pikachu, eyes beginning to glow bright gold. "They are now getting May involved...I'm going to kill them. Every single one of those idiots...I'll tear them to bits."  
  
"Pika," Pikachu said, as the Shadow Disk formed under Ash's booted feet, levitating him several inches above the ground. "Pi?"  
  
"I know. That's why we need to go to Indigo," Ash said, as he took off toward Indigo City.  
  
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That is chapter ten. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated, and I thank you all for readin it so far (  
  
Reviews:  
  
PokemonJoe: ^_^ ok then, thank you -bows-  
  
DJ: Trying to be a psychic huh? Huh? XD And you thought right about May!  
  
Shadow Fox 05: ^.^ 


	11. Meeting of Masters

- 11 -  
  
Misty looked up, shielding her eyes from the sun's light. She blinked, when a black comet-like object shot across the sky silently. It disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. "Ash." she said, "Where in the world is he...Indigo."  
  
Lance, who had thought of the same thing, frowned. "Why though? Why go one way on foot, then use the Shadow Disk to fly the other?" he asked.  
  
"I think..." Fox said dryly, "...that Ash has found out about May."  
  
"Oh no...what do you think he's going to do?" Paran asked, looking at Fox. Lance and Misty both looked at each other, worry on their faces. Fox wrapped an arm around her, standing on his heels.  
  
"We're going to find out soon, at any rate," Misty sighed.  
  
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May heard the voices of a group of people above her. She opened her eyes, and stared at the feet of five people. All men except one. The electric whip was no longer around her, but her skin still felt raw from where it touched her. Her Ice side had not been kind.  
  
"...we had to use Sleep Powder. She would not come quietly, and we couldn't afford distracting the other Masters, and if Ashura had made a sudden decision to return early..." one of them said.  
  
"Hm." One of them had been sitting, and stood up. May watched him, before going pale. It was Kiall, alive and well.  
  
'How...?' she thought, 'Ash had...killed him. Nothing could have survived that blast...'  
  
Kiall looked at her, before smiling. "Ah, you're up."  
  
May sat up, glaring at him. Kiall shooed away the three Masters, and sat back down. The woman stood next to his chair, smiling slightly. Looking at her, May screamed.  
  
"YOU!" she raged, jumping up. "YOU! It's you, Ariel!"  
  
Ariel smirked. "Feisty. No wonder Ashura took such a liking to you. He always did seem to lean in that direction when it came to women," she said, "but enough of that. Yelling will do nothing for you."  
  
Kiall, who had been silent, finally spoke back up. "Marian, Marian, Marian. Do you know why she showed up that night?"  
  
May looked at them, her eyes glowing. Even if she couldn't use an elemental attack, she'd kill them. "No," May said.  
  
Ariel and Kiall looked at each other. "We knew Ashura was having his own doubts." Ariel said, "Wondering why we did nothing, didn't make a sound. Wondering if he was actually powerful enough to beat us, to protect you like the knight in shining armor he was trying so hard to be."  
  
"Of course, we knew he'd think of leaving to keep you safe, not thinking of what could happen in his absence." Kiall added, "So, I had Ariel go to the house, remind him of his past, make him wonder how someone with no way of finding where he was found him. Ashura is the type that if he feels his presence poses a threat to someone that he loves, he'll leave."  
  
Kiall had gotten up and started pacing. "Of course, we had to use that to our advantage. When he left, that was our chance."  
  
Her eye's widened. "That's when you got me! You...you think Ash will come try to protect me again!" May said.  
  
"Not think, hun...'know,'" Ariel smirked, "We've seen him do everything in his power to keep you safe. Even Mazin! Even he knew not to let you get hurt, in the end anyway. As different as he was from Ashura, he had that same feeling."  
  
May stood up, her skirt slightly wrinkled. "You're hoping that Ash will try to get in here, so you can catch him," she said softly.  
  
"Precisely. Take her to her room for now." One of the Masters that had stayed took hold of her arm. "Make sure nothing happens to her or the child."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The 'comet' gradually started going transparent, the outline of a man inside visible. The energy disappeared totally, revealing Ash inside, standing on the Shadow Disk. He had slowed it down as he carefully landed on the ground.  
  
Cloak fluttering gently in the breeze, Ash stepped off the disk. Pikachu made one of his 'chu'ing noises, watching the people in the area. He pushed the door open, and walked over to the receptionist desk. The woman sitting behind it had looked up when she heard the tapping of Ash's boots on the tile floor.  
  
"Sensei Ashura!" she said. Ash smiled at her. "You've returned! Have you business to attend to?"  
  
Ash leaned against the desk, before saying, "I need a meeting with the Elite Four and the Rebellion leaders, ASAP. It's urgent that I speak with them."  
  
She got on the phone, nodding. "Contact EF and R, pronto. Sensei Ashura is demanding a meeting, and will blow up Indigo to get it."  
  
He coughed, trying to cover up his laugh. "I'll be in B16," Ash said softly, before he disappeared up the steps to the second floor.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The first to arrive was Lt. Surge, who seated himself quietly. He was a big man, beating Ash in both height and width by a mile. "What's this about?" he asked, frowning at the Shadow Master.  
  
Ash sat back down from when he stood up in his seat in the middle. Along one side of the table was five chairs, the middle one his and the others for the Elite Four, and along the other was four more for the Rebellion leaders. Lt. Surge was in the very last one to Ash's left. "I'll explain when-"  
  
"Ah, Ashura! The Pokemon League's resident hottie!" The brown-haired beauty sat down next to Lt. Surge, watching Ash with dark eyes.  
  
"Thank you, Giselle," Ash said with a half smile. He knew it was forced, but didn't let them know it. Ash was leaned back in his chair, legs crossed at the ankles.  
  
Giselle got up and walked around the table. She sat down on the edge, watching him again. Wondering what was taking everyone else so long, Ash looked back at her. He turned a soft red; she was looking him up and down.  
  
Ash's discomfort worsened, when he noticed her eyes had stopped. Giselle's lips tilted in a smile. "Leaves so much to the imagination..." she said softly, "I knew you had promise when you were just ten, then at seventeen it started showing through...now it's fully out."  
  
Lance and Misty arrived just in time, saving Ash from commenting as he went bright red. Misty sat in the last chair to the right on the Rebellion side, and Lance took the seat to Ash's left. "Ash, where had you been?" Misty asked, worry in her voice, "Giselle, stop ogling Ash and go back to your seat."  
  
Giselle gave Misty a cold look, eyes narrowed. "I don't take orders from you," she said harshly.  
  
Ash sighed, and shook his head. "Mistress Giselle, please go sit down. When the other three get here we will need to start as fast as possible," Ash responded.  
  
She looked at him, before walking around the table and sitting at her seat. Giselle knew better then to disobey not only the Pokemon League leader, but the Shadow Master too. Ash turned in his seat, when he heard two sets of footsteps. Two women stood in the doorway, one with short black hair and one with long turquoise hair. "Erika, Duplica."  
  
"Haven't seen you in a while, Ashy-boy! Where've you been hiding, hmm?" Duplica asked, sitting down. Ash shook his head. Duplicate's mouth went into an 'o' shape, before she nodded and went quiet.  
  
"Ashura, you are well?" a man's voice asked. Ash frowned at the poison ninja, Koga. He walked across the room, and sat down in the last remaining seat for the Rebellion, his outfit rustling quietly.  
  
"I am fine." Ash replied softly, finally sitting up straight. Lt. Surge shifted in his seat, clearing his throat.  
  
"Why have you called on us so suddenly?" Surge asked. Ash looked around.  
  
"I have called on you all to..." Ash looked at the empty chair next to him, before looking at them again, "...to discuss the League. I need to know what they are planing, their location, everything."  
  
Erika tapped the arm of her chair with her fingertips, frowning. "No disrespect meant Ash, but why do you want to know everything right now? And why in such a hurry?" she asked.  
  
Ash stood up, his cloak gently falling to cover his lean frame again. He blew the stray strands of black hair out of his eyes, before beginning. "Come to find out, the League has decided for some reason to get May involved instead of just coming to me directly, and I am going to find her. I do not know what they have planned, or why they want May at all, but there is one thing I know: whether or not you can give me what I need, I'm going to find them."  
  
The silence in the room was tense, as they stared at him. "Well, Ash," Koga said, "all we know so far is what area they are located, but not the exact plot."  
  
"The League headquarters is somewhere near Cerulean." Giselle said, "We think near the Tower, but its no sure thing."  
  
Staring at the tabletop, Ash sighed. "Cerulean. Do you know what they have planned?"  
  
"No," Surge replied, "We lost contact with all of our inside spies."  
  
"We're thinking that they were caught," Misty said, "by the fact there has been no sign of them for a few weeks."  
  
Ash sat back down, his eyes softly glowing. "What do you plan on doing, Ash?" Lance asked.  
  
"I'm going to go to the League HQ," Ash said slowly, "and I'm going to get inside and get May out, so I can take them out without worrying about her getting hurt in the onslaught."  
  
"That's suicide," Erika gasped, "marching into the League blindly!"  
  
He turned and stared at her. Erika fidgeted: Ash's icy stare was bothering her. "I'll come with," Duplica announced, standing up.  
  
Ash stood up also. "No." he said, "No. None of you are coming. It's too dangerous, and it'll just make things harder. The more of us there are, the larger the change of getting caught."  
  
Misty's eyes blazed. "Ashura, now you just wait one minute!" she snapped, "You think we all are just going to let you walk out of here, knowing you are going on a suicide mission? I know you've escaped death plenty of times, but this is no time to be making reckless decisions!"  
  
"This isn't some reckless decision." Ash looked at her, his expression deathly calm. Misty backed off. It was like the calm before a storm. "I've been thinking about it since I found out...I know what I'm going to do."  
  
"Then you'd know it's a death wish!" Misty seethed, "You can't just walk in there alone! That's just like slitting your own throat!"  
  
He snorted, looking at Duplica, then at Misty. "None of you," Ash said, his voice dangerously low, "are to interfere, and that is a *direct order*."  
  
Duplica sat back down, and stayed quiet. "Lance, Erika, and Duplica, you are in charge of the Pokemon League until I return. I'll be gone at least a week, but most likely longer then that. Good day to you all."  
  
Ash turned on his heel and walked out.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Shadow Fox 05: Hmm..it shouldn't be much longer. It just depends on where the plots goes XD  
  
dark Dante: I'll start making them talk to each other, but not a whole chapter of it ^.^;;  
  
Dragi: here is the next chapter ^___^ 


	12. On The Road,,,

-12-  
  
May stared at the ceiling, laying on her back on her bed. Her eyes were a mix of emerald and ruby, and slightly puffy. She sat up, her hair damp and sticking to her face and neck. Lucia was at the end of the bed, a collar around her neck.  
  
The collar was not any normal collar. It kept the small Light-based pikachu from using any attacks, physical or elemental. Lucia's ears drooped, as May whipped away the tears, her breathing short bursts of air. "Lucia, how long do you think I'll take?" she asked her only companion, pulling her knees up to her chest.  
  
She sighed. It was harder, since she had a baby growing every day inside her and was starting to make his self or herself seen. May picked at her skirt restlessly, before getting up and pacing. "You alright in there?"  
  
"I'm fine!" May snapped, "Just fine! I'm locked in a room waiting for my husband to run in to get himself killed!"  
  
The voice had stayed silent, before saying. "Master Ashura could kill us all if he wanted to."  
  
"Why would you care?" she asked, looking at the door, "You were stationed to make sure I don't get out."  
  
"I care because...because I..." he had stopped, before slipping into the room. He was a lank young man with short blonde hair and clear blue eyes. His shirt and cloak held the League symbol, which was an upper case 'L' surrounded by three elements: Fire, Water, and Grass.  
  
"Mistress Marian, I have a wife at home. I barely have any time to see her, being at the League's beck and call. I know what it's like to be separated from someone you love," he said. May suddenly felt sorry for him. He was so young, yet already had a wife and had been sucked into the League's grasp...  
  
Someone knocked at the door with soft taps. The guard opened the door slowly, before flinging it open entirely. It was a young dark girl, her hair in a high ponytail that was barely holding up all her hair. She held a good-sized bundle in her arms, and walked in shyly.  
  
"Mistress Ariel and Master Kiall ordered that these be given to you," she said, handing the bundle to May. She exited quickly, taking the guard with her.  
  
"Uh...thank you?" May said to the door, which had shut with a soft click and locked. She sat down on the bed, and set the bundle on her lap. Lucia sniffed at it curiously, before laying back down to go back to sleep. May untied the strings binding it and opened it.  
  
Inside was her light blue-almost white-cloak, her necklace with the black and white gem pendant laid out on top of it. May picked it up gently, the crystal cold against her hands before it started warming up again. She frowned. It normally went a lot warmer then what it was.  
  
May's hand tightened on the necklace, obscuring the Forbidden Crystal piece from view. She had seen a speck of red in its depths, a menacing dark red. Hands shaking, she put the pendant on. 'Ash...' she thought, taking her cloak out and setting it on the end of the bed, 'What is happening to you...'  
  
She looked at the remaining object in the bundle. It was a blue- white robe-type gown. May frowned; it reminded her of Elizabeth. Lucia peeked at it through slitted eyes, before blinking. "Well," May said slowly, "Might as well try it on..."  
  
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The sun shone dully in the sky, lighting up the world. Ash stood in the shadows of the trees, watching the small town as the people did their daily work. His eyes glowed gold, as he saw the Army on the horizon. "Pikachu, this is going to take a lot longer then I though," Ash said, glaring at the outlines of the men.  
  
"Pikachu..." the mouse pokemon replied, sitting on his shoulder. Ash walked toward the town, knowing that was exactly where that Army was heading.  
  
One of the children playing near the entrance looked at him, before whispering to her comrades. They all looked at him, before running off. Ash frowned at their backs, shaking his head. "Am I that frightening?" he asked.  
  
Pikachu snickered, before going silent at Ash's glare. "Chu!"  
  
"I'm in no mood for your games," Ash snapped, "so knock it off." He continued to walk, ignoring the looks he kept getting from the surrounding people.  
  
Ash, at the peak of his temper, growled when someone or something pulled on his cloak. "Do you mind! I have somewhere to-"  
  
He turned to see a small child behind him, the hem of his black cloak clutched in his small hands. Ash looked around, horrified. He had just yelled at a child, who had not even deserved it. The child looked up at him, tears streaming down his face. "Not again..."  
  
Pikachu jumped down, when Ash got down on his knees in font of the toddler. "I am sorry," he said, wiping the tears away with his hand, "You have just caught me at a very bad time..."  
  
The boy looked at him, eyes suddenly wide. Ash noticed his eyes went from him to something behind him. Frowning, Ash turned slowly to look in the same direction. The League had arrived.  
  
Ash, with a quick apology, roughly grabbed the boy and ran, hoping to find a good hiding place. A small house on the edge of the town ended up being where Ash left him. "Stay here until someone comes and gets you," he said, rushing out.  
  
The Shadow pokemon sitting on Ash's shoulder again jumped into the air and became the Shadow Blade. Master and Trainers were pouring into the small town, attacking with a fierce hatred.  
  
"Time to see just how strong they are," Ash whispered under his breath, sliding in behind one of the buildings. He ran along the allies, the shadows hiding him from view.  
  
Seeing a small group near the entrance, Ash jumped up, kicked the wall with the heel of his boots and did a flip to land right in the center of them. The Masters all stared, before recognizing him for who he was. "Aha, Ashura!" one of them said, "On your way to save the Light Mistress?"  
  
Ash silently turned to look at the green-clad Master who had spoke. "That Light Master...if she weren't chained to you I'd take her myself."  
  
Most of the Masters nodded in agreement. They backed off suddenly, when the Shadow Master's eyes flashed gold, red, then gold again. Ash swung the Shadow Blade and hit the Master in the chest with it. With a gurgle he fell to the ground dead. "May," Ash said softly, his voice a dangerous whisper, "is not some toy you can play with!"  
  
The rage that had built up finally exploded. Ash turned his wrathful glare on the other Masters, some of which started running. Any that remained looked at each other, before attacking. He gave them a chilling, humorless smile, as he raised the Shadow Blade in attack.  
  
Not even minutes later, every Master that had surrounded him landed on the ground, bloodied up and dead. Ash stepped over the bodies quietly, glaring at the attacking League. "HALT!" he yelled, his voice echoing hauntingly through the town.  
  
Silence fell over the town, as every Master and Trainer stopped dead in their tracks to look in his direction. Ash walked toward the frozen League, his eyes glowing a bright gold. "I am going to make this quick...I could make it long and painful...but I have my wife to find," he said quietly, lifting the sword up so the point was aimed at them.  
  
In the blink of an eye, Ash had raced forward and not only diced up the Masters and the pokemon, but had managed to make it without a drop of blood touching him or the innocents. "Have a good death," Ash whispered, as the Shadow Blade sparked and turned into Pikachu.  
  
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Misty peeked past the bushes, frowning. "We can get there faster if we go by pokemon," she said, standing up and walking over to the group hidden in the shadows of the forest. Lance, Fox, and Paran quietly got up, letting their pokemon out.  
  
"I have the feeling Ash won't be too thrilled when he sees us..." Paran commented, climbing onto the ponyta the Pokemon League had supplied. Lance laughed.  
  
"Ash thought a 'direct order' would stop us from helping! He can be so naïve sometimes..." Lance sighed. Misty shook her head.  
  
"No, I don't think it's that..." she said. Fox jumped up onto the ponyta behind Paran, before saying anything.  
  
"He wants us to stay out of it because he doesn't want us getting hurt." he said, wrapping his arms around Paran's waist. "That would probably be a good idea..."  
  
"WHAT?!" Misty yelled, turning to stare up at him. "You want us to just go back to Indigo? To sit and wait to see if Ash manages to survive this one?"  
  
"I think we all know Ash well enough to not even have a doubt," Lance mused, getting on his Dragonair, "that he'll put up a fight when we arrive."  
  
"Well," Paran said, lightly tapping the ponyta's sides, "we will just have to take care of it later. It's too late to just turn back."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The morning dawned bright, the land foggy and cool. Ash blinked his eyes, staring at the ground. He slowly drew his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs.  
  
In one day he had had three different confrontations with the League, and each one he had destroyed the Masters in them. Ash looked at his hands, before balling them into fists. He stood up abruptly, startling the Shadow pikachu awake. "Pikachu, get up." he said, "We need to get to Cerulean."  
  
"Chaaa," Pikachu sighed, stretching. He jumped up onto Ash's shoulder, clutching onto the Shadow Master's head to keep balance. Ash wiped a hand across his eyes to get rid of the sleepiness.  
  
Ash sighed, before summoning up the Shadow Disk. "I need to get there quicker then this."  
  
His cloak billowed out gently in the breeze. Ash squinted his eyes, the top of the old gate Tower just visible from his position. Pikachu made a small sound, frowning at his Master. His eyes sweeped from side to side, looking for any sign of the League HQ.  
  
None found, Ash slowed the Shadow Disk to a stop, and stepped off. "I am going to need some serious therapy after this one," Ash sighed, pulling his cloak tighter around his body as he started walking.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Kiall sat in the dark, drumming his fingers on the arm of his chair. "What is wrong love? I've never seen you this worried," Ariel asked, sitting on the other arm.  
  
"I'd think he'd be here by now," Kiall said, frowning at her. Ariel nodded in agreement.  
  
"Ashura never was one to take his time. Would run head-on into a battle without a thought." she replied quietly, "Most likely all of those raids are holding him back. If you held those off he'd arrive earlier I assume."  
  
"That's true...I will contact the generals and tell them to withdraw the Armies until I give further instruction." He stood up silently, and started to the door. "Oh, and Ariel...request that Marian dine with us."  
  
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DJ- I'm just fine :D I mgiht end up putting them in one room again (mwahaha) near the end..maybe.  
  
Elemental Sorceress- Thanks ^.^ 


	13. Awaiting The Attack

- 13 -  
  
Ash sat in the underbrush, the bush's prickles poking him whenever he moved. Frowning, Ash rolled onto his knees and peeked over at the building. He shivered.  
  
Pikachu scowled, picking thorns out of his fur. Ash crawled along the ground, when he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head. It was his turn to scowl: Ash's hair had gotten caught in the thorns.  
  
Yanking away from the bushes, Ash fell forward, flat on his face. Mumbling, he sat against a tree. He pulled the hair band out, letting his hair hang about his shoulders. "These are the times I wonder why I bother keeping it long," he said, combing the thorns and tangles out with his fingers, wincing slightly.  
  
"Chuuu?" Pikachu sat on his hunches, ears twitching. "Pika?"  
  
Ash twisted the hair band around his wrist, before trying to get his slightly messed up black hair back into a ponytail. He frowned slightly, as he finally got it the way he liked it- slightly tightened right at the base of his neck. "Shut it," he said, pushing himself up to his feet.  
  
Pikachu giggled and jumped up onto his head. Ash pushed the tree branches aside that were in his way, using one hand to pick the prickles from his clothes and gloves. He winced, the ones that were in his skin stinging painfully.  
  
Sighing, Ash let his aura flare up, the air around him turning dark. The fine needles dissolved and disappeared, the stinging ending with it. Ash, rubbing the back of his hand against his forehead, let the aura drop.  
  
He stared at the headquarters with morbid anticipation. Ash looked around, frowning. The breeze that had been blowing had dead stopped, the air still. 'It's just my mind playing tricks on me,' he thought, going deeper into the forest, 'This is no time to be barging in like a raving lunatic. As long as they know I'm coming, they won't hurt May.....'  
  
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The silence was tense in the dining room. Ariel sat next to Kiall, sipping quietly at her wine, watching both Masters over the glass. May refused to make eye contact with either of them, picking at her dinner with grave dread.  
  
It was starting to seriously worry her. It had been somewhere around two weeks since the League had kidnapped her and Ash had yet to make an appearance. 'Is he even looking?' she thought, staring at her glass with enough force to shatter it, 'Ash.....Ashura.....please, just come get me. Run in like an idiot to do it, just come save me.....'  
  
A single thought forced itself into her mind, May's entire heart and mind turning icy: did he even care enough to look? Was it possible that Ash didn't even want to try?  
  
"Child, you are being doubtful," Kiall suddenly stated. May looked at him, hiding her shock. The shock quickly turned to anger: he had read her thoughts! "As we speak he is just outside the doors."  
  
May gave him a distrustful look, before feeling it. Ash's aura. It was so distinct, the powerful Shadow energy almost overbearing. She choked, drinking down the water she had left in her glass. "If he is near," she said, her voice shaking, "why doesn't he come in? You could just be saying that so I'll let my guard down."  
  
"For once, Ashura is using his head," Ariel said sweetly, "Running in here without resting would be like letting a wounded Squirtle go against a Venasaur. It would not work."  
  
Kiall frowned at Ariel, then at May. "This is one of the reasons I wanted you to be here with us. Plus, I have not been that gracious a host for you."  
  
May rolled her eyes. "When you kidnap someone, being a 'gracious host' isn't part of the picture any longer."  
  
"True, so true." Ariel chided, "I predict that he will stay put for a few days, then come after us."  
  
"Why is that?" May asked, even thought she knew the answer. Ash was giving himself and Pikachu some time to recover first, and then would strike. Just as she guessed, that was exactly what Ariel said.  
  
"I have no doubt that Ash is going to come in here and kill you both," May said quietly, before standing up. "If you don't mind, I'm going back to my prison room!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Misty crept along the trees, before catching sight of a small fire nearby. Lance, Paran, and Fox were behind her, watching with apprehension. They all looked around the trees, to see the lone figure sitting on the ground, cloak wrapped close to his body.  
  
Paran leaned over, looking through the bush. She yelped, when she fell forward. Fox grabbed her sides, pulling her back. Lance held his breath, staring at the thin form. "Let's go," he said, creeping forward.  
  
Misty followed close behind, along with Paran and Fox. Her heart twisted. Ash had turned in their direction, his eyes narrowed. Within seconds he has jumped up, anger in his every movement.  
  
"What are you doing here?!" he asked, glaring at them. Misty stood up to her full height, which didn't make much of an impact on Ash, since he was several inches taller then her. "I gave you a direct order to not come!"  
  
Lance walked up to him, looking Ash in the eyes. He was exactly as tall as the younger Master, and did not flinch and wince at his every word. "Ashura, listen to me." he said, "Just saying that we are not to follow is not going to lay lightly with us! We all care about you, along with May, and we want to see her safe just as much as you do!"  
  
Ash glared at him, his eyes flashing red then gold. "Lance, Mistaria, Paran, Fox. I am no longer going to be nice. You all are to go BACK TO INDIGO, OR I WILL PERSONALLY KILL ALL OF YOU!"  
  
Finally snapped, Paran walked up to Ash and slapped him. He stumbled back, staring at her. Pikachu's ears bent back, as the Shadow Pokemon made a rueful sound. "Will you stop thinking we are two year olds!" she said.  
  
With a snap of his Master's fingers, Pikachu turned into the Shadow Blade. Ash took hold of the hilt, and pointed the tip of the blade at them. "Never," he growled, "ever, get in my way."  
  
With a crack, a beam of Shadow energy shot out of the sword at the group. It sent them flying, the force of it just enough to send them off without doing much harm. Ash, glaring, let Pikachu turn into pokemon form again before sighing.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
May sat in bed, holding the thick book on her lap, flipping through the pages. She stopped in the section about Shadow and Light, and skimmed through it. "'When Shadow and Light shall come together again in the Bonding, they would not long afterward save the world from the evils of the previous Shadow Master, who should of either died or gone to the never seen Shadow Realm. When that one is gone, the present one would be asked by the Guardians whether he would rather stay on Earth as a mortal Master or go to the Realm and become the immortal version of his element. His refusal would put a chain of events into affect that would not end for many years.'"  
  
"'Not even a year after the same Shadow Master would get the Light Mistress with child, this child being the one who would prove just as powerful as her father and mother. Unlike the other times the elements arose, there would be Masters in the world for hundreds of years nonstop, alas the Shadow and Light Masters both would die a normal death, those two elements would not rise again until one hundred years afterwards.'"  
  
She stared at the page, the words seeming to blur. The old prophesies always seemed foolish, until it really happened. Lucia stared at her, eyes slightly watery. "I think," May said, looking at her pokemon, "this would explain a bit."  
  
"Chuu."  
  
"Too bad the guy who foresaw all this didn't foresee THIS," she sighed. Her hand went straight to the pendent, who's center was growing even more blood red....  
  
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What do you know? Ash attacked them XD and in his own right mind (or mostly so) too! Will Misty and the others ever get to the HQ, or will they just give it up? Perhaps we'll find out in the next chapter XD  
  
Reviews:  
  
DJ- I read that fic...it was a cute one ^__^ Made me feel sad for Latias.  
  
HorseLady- Hi there! It's quite alright ^_- I'm glad you enjoy the fic so far.  
  
Shadow Fox- ^__^ 


	14. The Tower

- 14 -  
  
Misty crawled through the bushes, her hood pulled up over her red hair. It had been decided that for anyone to get in, that only one could follow. She had volunteered, knowing that she could possibly get through the mist that was obscuring Ash's common sense and perhaps get it in his head that he couldn't go It alone.  
  
She quickly managed to close the space again, even though it had been close to half a mile away he had blasted them. She had a bruise on her thigh from it. Scowling, Misty peeked through the bushes, into the clearing again. Pikachu was sitting silently by the fire, watching the Shadow Master.  
  
Frowning, Misty looked at Ash. He was practicing his fighting. When she thought about it, him and Lance were similar in fighting. Lance had speed, but Ash had more grace along with the speed.  
  
Guessing that he was going to wait until morning to go to the HQ, she set up a small camp and went to bed.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ash sat down on the ground, satisfied with the training. He stared into the fire, mouth set in a grim line.  
  
A small shiver ran down his spine. He could have sworn he had heard a frightened scream, but knew it was his imagination. Ash looked up at the sky, which was a clear black.  
  
"Pikachu," he said. The small shadow pokemon looked up at Ash, eyes alight with curiosity, "We go tonight."  
  
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He crept along the side of the building, keeping pressed up against the cold wall. Holding his breath, Ash silently pried the door open and entered.  
  
Clearly, the main lobby was empty. Ash eyes narrowed, as he looked around at the surrounding room. He crouched down in the shadows, as a guard stepped out of the elevator that had just opened.  
  
When the guard turned away, Ash crept up behind him and struck. The guard fell to the floor, making a dull thud at impact. Ash dragged him over to the counter, and hid him behind it. He took to the stairs, not wanting to make his presence overly obvious with the elevator.  
  
His footsteps where silent, barely touching the ground before lifting up again for another step. Ash was able to slow his breathing to near stopped, but still have enough oxygen to get on alright, and was at that moment doing just that. The darkness didn't bother him, his eyes glowing a dull gold.  
  
"Piiiikachu," the uneasy pokemon cooed. Ash looked at Pikachu, frowning. "You're right.....there HAVE been very few guards around, its like they-"  
  
"NOW!" The overhead lamps flashed on, flooding the floor with a blinding white light. Ash frowned, blinking his narrowed watering eyes. He used his hand to shield his face from the light, until his eyes adjusted to it.  
  
Wondering how he would get out of his predicament, Ash looked around at the large group of Masters and guards that where standing in rows, blocking his way. Ash turned just in time to see a Water Master rush at him from the staircase he had just left, and use his heel to push them back.  
  
Pikachu turned into the Shadow Blade, as Ash twisted around and crouched to the ground, watching the silent army. He curled a hand around the hilt tightly, frowning.  
  
One of the Masters, a younger one, came forward. He got into the stance of a Master ready to battle. Ash smiled grimly, watching him. 'He's still a Trainee Master,' he thought.  
  
The Master ran toward him, scythe raised. Ash raised his sword and blocked the scythe, and gave the Master a kick in the shins. He was taking it easy on the young Master.....  
  
Several minutes later, the Master stepped back, clutching the scythe. Unlike Ash, he was panting, sweat beaded on his face.  
  
Ash frowned, noticing the glint in his eyes. The Master twisted the scythe, and struck Ash with the blunt end of it. He stared, before noting the pain that started making itself noticed, and doubled over.  
  
He ground his teeth together, backing up slightly. "Idiot boy!" he grated, glaring at the Master, "You should KNOW never to hit someone, especially a man, in the crotch unless you have a death wish!"  
  
The Master whimpered. Ash wondered just how long it'd be until he dropped dead from the pain. He gripped the Shadow Blade, and swung it. He would no longer go easy on the boy.....  
  
Ash, almost blindly, attacked. He lodged the Shadow Blade into the Master's shoulder, pushing it down. With a silent cry, the body fell to the ground, sword still stuck inside it.  
  
Pulling it out, Ash gave the blade a gentle flick, and the blood flew off. "Now for May," he said quietly, before making a run for the group. He would fight all of them if it meant getting to her.  
  
It proved harder then he thought. Ash used the Shadow Blade to block the weapons, but used his very own Shadow element to blast half of them away, to find even more.  
  
"Would you all just DIE!" Ash growled, making a giant sweep with the Blade and cutting a small portion of them in two. Jumping up into the air, Ash did a flip and landed feet first in front of the door. He forced it open and ran out, followed closely by the Masters.  
  
His eyes flickered red, before he turned and blasted them to pieces with a strong beam of Shadow. Ash turned back and continued running down the hall, noticing the walls and ceiling where made of glass. A shadow had fallen over him, and he saw what caused it: the Cerulean Gate Tower-they had connected both the main building and the tower!  
  
Ash found himself in the dark tower, climbing up the stairs to get to the next floor. He knew already they had rebuilt the whole tower, to be more useful since the last time he had been inside, it had almost nothing but stairway......  
  
Using the Shadow Blade to injure the guard climbing up the stairs, Ash flattened himself against the wall. He was on the fourth floor, he knew that, and heard voices coming closer from above.  
  
Running up the steps, he held the Shadow Blade forward, spearing anyone that got in his way. He was sick of the League; he was sick of the fighting and bloodshed that he had to cause because of them; and last but not least, he was sick of not being able to live a normal life.  
  
Anger welled up inside of him, burning his very mind and soul. Ash finally made it to the fifth floor (he knew where to go, because of hearing what they where saying before he attacked) and saw the single guard in front of the only door on that floor.  
  
With a swing of the blade, the guard flew back, into the door with a loud thud. He slid down to the floor, smearing blood on the door.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
May heard the fights going on, but didn't getting up. Lucia was right next to her, ears forward in alert. She looked toward the door, hearing the thud against it.  
  
Quickly getting up, she smoothed her hair down and watched. There was silence for several minutes, until the door fell and hit the floor, cracking in two diagonally. A ringing vibrated through the air, after the impact.  
  
The Shadow Blade glinted in the dark, a hidden light hitting it. Ash stood in the doorway silently, holding onto the hilt. "May," he said, the blade clinking as it hit the floor.  
  
Seconds later the blade had turned back into the pokemon. He rushed over, the silence broken by his footsteps. "Ash, what happened?" May asked, holding on him.  
  
Ash sank down onto his knees on the floor, his head on her lap. "I don't think I'll ever be able to have kids again," he said dryly, blinking.  
  
"Chuu," Lucia cooed sympathetically. May brushed the black strands of hair that where in his eyes back, frowning.  
  
"You poor thing....." May wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her cheek pressed against the top of his head. Ash winced, when he heard the far-off sound of more League guards.  
  
"We have got to leave, now," he muttered, forcing himself up to his feet. Pikachu turned into the Shadow Blade again. He grabbed her wrist gently, using his other hand to hold the hilt of his sword.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The sky looked a dark blue, with the silhouette of the tower against it. Ash pulled May along, frowning. There was a thin cut on his cheek, where he had barely dodged the hit from a Trainer.  
  
When they were at the edge of the woods, Ash stopped and turned to look at May. He could still feel the bubbling anger inside of him, and felt like he would pop at any minute. "I want you," he said gently, "to get at least a mile away from here. A bit more then that if possible. Use Fiona if you need to, just do what you have to do to get away from here as fast as you can."  
  
"Ash, no..." May said, keeping from crying again. He held her shoulders, and kissed her forehead.  
  
"You have to," Ash replied gently, carefully pulling a pokeball out and opening it. The Ice Bird Articuno appeared a few feet away, wings outspread. "After everything is cleared up here, I'll come get you, and we'll go back together."  
  
May hugged him, her head against his shoulder. "Just...be careful?" she asked.  
  
Ash gave her the familiar shy, warm smile. "I'll try to be," he said, squeezing her softly.  
  
He helped May up onto Fiona, giving her a kiss on the temple. "I'll see you in a while...."  
  
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AN: Ok, this chapter, was quite interesting to write. The scene were Ash got hit with the scythe came from random hyperness, but seems to bring with it a little humor XD It might come up later on again –snicker- also, if any of you want the chapters early, I post them at MF (MoonFantasy) so if you are a member there you get it early ^_- I've also worked on a bunch of dolls and stuff for it, and they are posted on my sitey and stuff, and I've done some fanart for it but not much.  
  
Reviews:  
  
ejgHorseLady- Thank you! I'll get the next one up soon, so you all can read it :D  
  
Dragi- I'll get the next chapter up ASAP! ^.^  
  
DJ- ^___^ Thank you, and I contacted you already about the TAT. 


	15. Cerulean WipeOut

- 15 -  
  
Misty yawned, sitting up and stretching her arms. The sun wasn't even up yet. She stiffly crawled through the bushes, to look for the Shadow Master again. He was no longer at his campsite.  
  
She frowned, looking toward the League Headquarters and the tower beyond it. "You've done it again," she said quietly, "ran off to save the word...again."  
  
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"We ought to go back to Indigo, and report to them," Lance said, brushing off his pants from sitting on the ground. Fox helped Paran up, holding her steady with one arm around her waist.  
  
"What about Misty?" she asked, holding onto her head. She had taken the hardest hit from Ash's Shadow blast, having been closest to him. "We can't just leave without her!"  
  
"We shouldn't, but we have to," Fox sighed, "At this point the three of them are lost to us, and if we let the Pokemon League know, they might be able to send re-enforcement to the League HQ and help out."  
  
"I don't think so," Lance said, letting Dragonite out, "They won't send out any troops without Ash's consent, and with him in Cerulean..."  
  
"He wouldn't give it anyway," Paran cut him off, "Ash has it in his head that to finish off the League, he needs to do it himself. And not only that, they put it onto a more personal level then before, so that gives ash even more of a reason to want to take it open himself to blast all of them to Hell himself."  
  
"Well, whatever happens, we need to tell Indigo," Fox said, as they flew off.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
May pulled the pendent out, and looked at it. The red in its center seemed to swirl as if in a silent dance with the black and white. She looked back, at the tower that was toy-sized to her vision. "Fiona, land at that mountain ridge!" she ordered.  
  
Articuno, with a flap of her wings, flew at an angle toward the ridge, and landed gracefully. May carefully climbed off, when the bird bent to let her off. She walked over to the edge, and sat down, her legs hanging over. From there, any major event would be visible.  
It seemed like time went by sluggishly, as the sun barely shone a light over the edge of the world. May felt a tremor run through the ground, the wind blowing harshly suddenly.  
  
Everything went still, as she saw it. A blue-black spherical object shot up into the clouds from the area of the Tower, and disappeared. Soon after, the clouds around there turned an ugly black, sparking with Shadow electricity.  
  
May stood up, hugging herself against the cold, her eyes wide with fright. She felt a prickling sensation, as the lightning forked across the sky one and a quarter miles away.  
  
She held back a whimper, when the Shadow energy shot down from the sky and struck Cerulean, causing an explosion that spread out quickly. May fell back against the Ice bird, her eyes stinging painfully.  
  
A silence fell over the world, as the explosion died down. May wiped her eyes with her sleeve, before looking back toward Cerulean-or what was once Cerulean.  
  
A mile around the Tower was nothing but rubble and dust. Even the Tower itself was no where to be seen. May squinted her eyes, hoping to see some sign of life, but there was none. Jumping back onto Articuno, she ordered the pokemon to fly down to the forest.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A gentle wind blew, as Ash stared at the man who should have been a year dead. The top of the Tower had been blown apart, leaving it wide open for them.  
  
Ash's narrowed eyes had turned an angry blood red. He held the Shadow Blade, ready for the battle to come. Kiall carefully unsheathed his own, throughing the scabbard away.  
  
Within seconds, the sound of steel blade-on-steel blade ranted the air, as the two Masters fought. Both seemed to equal the other in strength, as sparks flew from the swords as they met.  
  
Grinning viciously, Ash made a finalizing blow to Kiall, in the back. He didn't care anymore, he just wanted him gone for good.  
  
Kiall's sword clanged as it hit the floor. He was limp on the ground, most likely paralyzed. Ash let Pikachu turn from sword to pokemon. The pokemon jumped up onto his shoulder, as an orb of Shadow formed around them.  
  
A strong whirlwind formed, blowing anything and everything around. Ash gasped for breath, as the Shadow energy in the orb turned dense, blocking any air from entering. Just as he started going light headed, Ash threw his arms up, palms upward.  
  
The orb shot up like a rocket away from him and Pikachu, up into the clouds. Quickly, the clouds turned dark, sparking with Shadow energy. Ash let his arms drop to his sides, looking up at the darkened sky. He felt the energy within him building up.  
  
Lightning forked across the sky, just as the Shadow energy that had built up in the sky finally fell down, in a powerful blue-black beam of power. Ash closed his eyes, just as they were hit with the energy.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Misty had decided it would be better to head back towards Lance and the others, and quickly darted through the underbrush. Her cloak had gotten caught and ripped, so she just took it off and left it behind, leaving her in nothing but her long blue dress.  
  
She saw the city of Indigo ahead of her. It had only been a week, and she had managed to make it back. She walked into the city, hoping to find some help.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Sir, we still have had no message from Master Ashura?" Lance looked at the Trainer, who had joined the Pokemon League only weeks before. He shook his head. She seemed to go depressed.  
  
"When he contacts us, I'll make sure you are the first to be told," Lance assured her gently, before she ran off. He saw the door open and close, as Paran and Fox walked in. "Nothing?"  
  
"Nothing," Paran said, worrying her lip. She seemed to be even more nervous then before. Fox ran a hand through his hair, sighing.  
  
"Many of the higher ranked people want to just give up the search." he said, "They keep saying Ash is 'worthless' and we might as well just quit."  
  
"Well, they aren't the ones in charge, are they?" Lance growled, "We, as the Elite Four, are the ones in charge until Ash returns."  
  
"...If he returns." Misty walked in, having been healed and gotten a new cloak, "it has already been two weeks, counting the one I had walked here. Sad to say, I'm having my doubts..."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ash groaned, blinking his heavy eyes. He saw Pikachu sitting next to him, watching him worriedly. He sat up weakly, and looked around. The area was covered with rubble, and he would see the forest about a mile or so away from his spot on the ground.  
  
"What happened?" he mumbled, shakily pushing himself up to stand. Pikachu jumped up onto his shoulder. "Did I do this?"  
  
"Chaaa," the small pokemon replied, ears drooping, giving Ash the answer he hoped not to get. He turned to look in another direction, and saw the same destruction as before.  
  
Knowing there was no point in standing around, Ash slowly made his way across the land, walking about half an hour before a thought he had had finally sunk in: anything within the zone of destruction had been wiped out, including any towns, and it was his fault.  
  
Ash's heart near stopped, when it hit him. He fell to the ground, staring at his hands, which where shaking. Once again, he had killed innocent people, out of pure rage. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, before looking up at the forest ahead. Taking on his normal determined look, he forged ahead.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
AN: This is chapter 15! I starting to try to get this closer to the end (damn!) but its taking its nice sweet slow time doing it...if it keeps up, it might just about out run Shadow League in length O__O Which, will make this my longest fanfiction if it ends up happening!  
  
Also, I made a new site, so you can make dolls, drawings, or even your own minifics for my fanfictions (hint hint lol) , or for anime and submit it and have it shown off ^__^ the address for it is h t t p : / / w w w . f r e e w e b s . c o m / d r k n s s f l l s without the spaces since I had to put them in there so FFN wouldn't delete the address out like it seems to do to me a lot -.-;; ok, enough with shameless plugs XD!!  
  
I'm currently going to work some more on The Amateur Trainer since its being neglected really, then ill work on LT when that has had some more work done on it. If any of you have any suggestions, ideas, or whatnot for THIS one, just voice them and I might end up using them.  
  
Reviews:  
  
DJ- IT Is good to see it, since he doesn't show it much! ^.^ Thanks  
  
Dragi- Thanks Dragi :D I'll update as soon as I can. 


	16. Rainfall

- 16 -  
  
May hugged her knees to her chest, shaking. She had been lost for days, and was scared to death She hadn't any weapon, her elements were blocked, and Lucia couldn't use any attacks thanks to the League.  
  
She frowned, staring in the direction of what was Cerulean. There were soft footsteps coming from the surrounding forest, as if someone was walking towards her. May stared into the darkness that surrounded, looking for the source of the footsteps.  
  
Her eyes widened, as Ash stepped out from behind one of the trees. His cloak was slightly torn at places, almost nothing but shreds at the edges. May tried to get up, but fell back down immediately. Ash silently lessened the space between them, before helping her up.  
  
"Are you hurt?" His voice was softly indifferent, a near inaudible coldness dropped into it. May hung onto him, not even bothering to reply. Her heart had nearly split into pieces...what had happened to cause such a drastic change?  
  
Ash looked at Lucia, who was staring avidly at him from nearby. His eyes where narrowed into a half-glare. He turned to look at May, who seemed to be crying or something of the sort. Frowning, he tightened his grip on her unconsciously. "You're...You're alright," she gasped out, keeping a hold on his shoulders.  
  
"We should find someplace to stay the night.....it's going to rain," Ash said, after several minutes of silence. The evening sky had began to be swallowed up by the dark thunder clouds only seconds before. "There should be some type of shelter nearby....."  
  
Trying to ignore the fretful sadness that was trying to overtake her, May nodded slowly and followed after him.

* * *

The rain hit the window harshly, as the storm continued its attack on the world. May curled up on the small bed against the wall, across the room from the single window, while Ash sat on the one against the wall with the window. They had found a small cottage, only one room big but good enough to stay out of the rain, but it was still cold from having no heater or furnace.  
  
Ash silently turned from staring out of the window at the woods outside to look at May, who at the same time had been staring at him. "You really should get some rest. Indigo is a long way off from here."  
  
"We're still going?" May asked, looking at him. Ash's expression was unreadable, mostly because it was hard to tell what it was, but also from the dark that had descended, covering a lot of the room in shadow.  
  
"Yes, I said we were, didn't I?" His voice had a dry tone to it as he spoke. "We both are going to Indigo, but then I'm going to try recovering Cerulean back to what it was before....."  
  
May knew, just from his voice, it was a half-hearted lie, the Cerulean part. She took hold of the necklace at her throat. "You.....You are just going to leave again?"  
  
He looked back out of the window, dimly seeing his reflection in the glass. "Yes, but its not just to do it. It'd be for the best for everyone." Ash was silent for several seconds, before ending it, "Go on to sleep. Like I said, it's a long way to Indigo."  
  
May gave him a saddened look, but didn't try to say anymore. She curled up under the thin blankets, to attempt to stay warm again. The tears broke loose finally, before she fell into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

Ash pressed his forehead against the glass, staring out of the dreary window once again. The chilled air didn't bother him, even though he knew it would bother May. He twisted around, to look across the dark room to the other bed.  
  
His frown deepened, as Ash watched with worry the shivering form of his Bonded wife. He silently slid his legs off the bed, his bare feet hitting the floor. He ignored the feeling of freezing that shot through his legs, as he pushed himself up off the bed and carefully crept over to the other bed.  
  
His cloak made a swishing noise as he walked. Ash slowly sat down on the edge of the bed, not wanting to startle her awake. He swung his legs up off the floor, onto the bed.  
  
Gently, he put an arm around her, using the other to prop his head up. Ash closed his eyes, listening to the pounding rain. May startled him awake, when she rolled over-right into him.  
  
Somehow, Ash managed to fall over, right onto her. He cringed, listening to the small whimper she made. Ash carefully lifted himself up and back onto his side when he saw just how uncomfortable she was in such a position. She curled up comfortably next to him, using his shoulder as a pillow.  
  
Ash scowled, when May bit down gently on his ear. He sulked, wishing things where normal again, even though he knew they never would be. 'NO!' he thought, feeling the bitter coldness seep into him again, 'I'll just cause more pain and suffering for everyone, and I'm not doing it. I  
don't CARE if they'll want me to stay, it'll be for the best if I leave!'  
  
His train of thought once again broke down, when a voice cracked the silence. "Ash?"  
  
'Well, someone woke up!' he thought, before saying, "Hm?"  
  
"What really happened back at Cerulean?" May asked, her voice quiet, almost timid. Ash frowned at her, even though the dark would keep her from seeing it.  
  
"I don't know," Ash said reluctantly. He didn't feel like giving a minute-by-minute account of what he remembered happening in the tower, and wouldn't. May twisted to see him clearer, her face barely an inch away from his.  
  
"Something happened besides you blowing up a small part of Kanto," she replied, frowning also, "because that shouldn't be bothering you, not like this. No one died except for the League people, because the town in that area had moved elsewhere when they placed the HQ there."  
  
"Nothing happened! N-O-T-H-I-N-G."  
  
May stared at Ash, noticing how calm he seemed. The way he was talking and the way he looked where saying two different things. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt on the situation. "Oh. Alright. If you say so. How long do you think it'll take to get to  
Indigo?"  
  
Ash stayed silent, before finally answering the question. "Four or five days."

* * *

The days went by almost too quickly. In what seemed to be one long day, which was actually four, Indigo rose above them, its buildings glowing with the sun. "Everyone will be so happy to see you," May said, trying to cheer Ash up, and seemingly failing, "And it has most likely  
been chaos since we both where in Cerulean, since no one was here to run  
the Pokemon League, so you can clear all of that up-"  
  
"Stop trying to make me change my mind," he growled, gently blowing the loose strands of black hair that had fallen into his face away from his eyes. Ash frowned, an uneasy feeling settling over him. He cursed under his breath.  
  
May stayed silent, finally giving up. "You stubborn bat!" she said quietly. 

"I heard that."

* * *

AN: This is the next chapter! lol. I rather like the outcome of it, overall. Even thought something about it isn't sitting right oO;; oh well, cant let that ruin the whole thing! 

Also, I am working on a rewrite of Master of the World, the very first fan fiction in the Shadow League Team series. Yep, that is right, I'm rewriting it. I'm gunna wait until I have all the chapters done though before changing them It'kll take about a year or so to finish off though probably lol

And what is with fanfiction.net now? That quick editor thing? I can't even use my star and squiggle bars anymore .;; then again, now i can actually italicize words instead of putting stars around them...  
  
And, as always, here are the replies to my review(s):  
  
DJ- Huh. With Ash, it isn't so easy to get through at times like this lol. but you never do know, someone just might get through to him.... Also, I'm going to start work on the next chapter of TAT tommorrow


	17. The Shadow Master's Flight

- 17-  
  
Pikachu perked his ears forward, when they stopped at the tall gates of Indigo. Ash shielded his eyes against the sun, frowning, so he could look around without trouble. "Looks like everything is normal," he said, turning his stare onto May.  
  
May sullenly kept her head down, not wanting to look him in the eye. "Indigo never changes on the outside," she replied softly, "You should know that already."  
  
Ash went totally silent, his eyes filled with worry and sadness. He picked at his cloak, blinking his eyes as they stung painfully.  
  
He stifled a gasp, just as he somehow felt a sorrow that was not his own enter into his already conflicting mind and emotions. Ash's confusion grew even more, as a dull, nearly unnoticeable, pain shot through his abdomen. Once again, it seemed as if it wasn't his pain, but someone else's.  
  
Pikachu's ears bent back finally, as it felt that his Master was in pain. He jumped down, to stand on the ground with Lucia, who was looking just as sad as the two Masters.  
  
"May-" Ash said, as he nearly fell over when May ran at him, and threw her arms around him, crying into his shirt. Feeling thoroughly miserable, he gently hugged her.  
  
Ash looked down at the Shadow Pokemon staring at him, feeling his resolve melt by the second. He blinked away his tears, almost jumping when he heard May speak.  
  
"Please Ash," she said into his shoulder, the sound coming out muffled, "don't leave again. I don't want you to go!"  
  
Once again, he felt his already damaged resolve start to crack. Ash softly kissed her, the tears welling up again. "I'm sorry," Ash said, before shoving her away.  
  
May stumbled back, and fell down, her cloak twisting around her. Ash blinked the tears away. "I'm sorry!" he yelled, going into a flat out run, "Good bye!"  
  
The ripped piece of blue cloth fell out of his pocket as Ash bolted out from the Gates, landing next to Lucia.

* * *

Ash ran as far as his legs and lungs would allow, before collapsing down onto the ground, panting. Pikachu fell next to him, breathing just as hard as the Master was.  
  
He let his pulse slow to a normal rate, before gingerly walking over to the shelter of a tree, and ungracefully falling to sit down at the roots. During the thirty minutes he had ran, Ash had had to repeatedly tell himself that he couldn't turn back, and stopping to rest didn't mellow it.  
  
"I can't go back," he said out loud to no one in particular, "I won't go back."  
  
Ash had to block off his mind and emotions to keep from crying, and feeling the seemly endless pain that was surely there, not to mention whatever he had been picking up... Pikachu's ears drooped, as it watched him. Letting the shields down slowly, steeling himself for the added pain of someone else...none came but his own.  
  
"I wish that blast had taken me out with it." Ash sighed, running a hand through his hair, "At least then I wouldn't be in so much pain, and neither would May...oh..."  
  
His eyes stung painfully, as the tears fell forth. Pikachu jumped into his lap, until he pulled his knees up to his chest and crossing his arms on top of them, burying his face in his arms. The small pokemon lay down next to him, worry in his eyes.  
  
Ash's shoulders shook; it was almost the only movement he made. Minutes went by, then hours, before he gradually cried himself into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

May sat on her knees on the ground, staring at where Ash had been standing, numb in shock. When it finally sank in what had happened, she started crying, hiding her face in her hands.  
  
Lucia made a small sympathetic sound. The small pokemon's ears twitched, when she saw the cloth lying on the ground. She picked it up in her mouth and crawled over to May quickly. "Chu?"  
  
"What is it Lucia?" May asked, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "What's that?"  
  
She took the cloth, and looked at it. It was blue, and made out of the same type of material that her cloak was. She stared at it, before the owner came to mind-Misty.  
  
"Where did you get this?" she asked, looking at Lucia. The pokemon frowned, before replying. "What? Ash had...oh no."  
  
Everything seemed to click into place. The sudden change, the distance, the hurry to get away from everyone...  
  
May twisted it, looking up toward the forest. Lucia turned and looked also, before looking back at May. "Chuuu," the pokemon said.  
  
"No," she sighed, painfully pushing herself up onto her feet. "Forcing Ash to come here is just as bad as anything the League did. He'll get over it eventually."

* * *

Misty and Paran ran out of the front doors of the Pokemon League's main headquarters, hoping to get to the city gates quickly. Most people moved out of the way, when they saw the pair running through the streets.  
  
"MAY!" they yelled, when they arrived at the gates. She looked up at them, before her eyes widened.  
  
"Paran?... MISTY?!" May said, looking up at them. Her eyes widened. She had thought...  
  
"What happened?! Where is Ash?" Misty asked, helping May up. Paran frowned.  
  
"We saw him run off..." she said, biting her lip. "Are you all right?"  
  
"My husband just ran away again, how 'all right' should I be?" May replied, staring at them. Misty and Paran frowned.  
  
"That's....true." Misty said slowly, cautiously. "How about we go to the headquarters? You can tell us what happened there."

* * *

"...And then he just fled?" Lance asked, frowning. May nodded, clutching onto the Light pikachu. "The idiot."  
  
"Must you insult Ash NOW?!" Paran snapped, elbowing him. "We need to think of a way to get in contact with him again."  
  
May shook her head, the tears falling. "He thinks you're dead!" she said, aiming the comment at Misty.  
  
"Huh? Why?" she asked, confusion in her voice. May pulled out the ripped up cloth, and gave it to her. "Oh! My cloak got caught on a bush, so I tore it and ended up ditching it all together!"  
  
"And Ash...oh no. Oh no, no, no, no, no!" Paran whimpered. Lance's frown deepened more.  
  
"No wonder. He's grieving! Over a death he thinks happened, and on top of that, one he 'caused.'" Fox looked at him.  
  
"And he fled like that to get away from here, because once again he thinks he is dangerous," Fox mused. Lance and Misty nodded in agreement.  
  
"How are we going to get it through his head he isn't this time?" Paran asked. Misty sighed, and shook her head.  
  
"We can't."

* * *

AN: This is chapter 17, and we have one more chapter to go! Chapter 18, at this moment, is nearly finished. Of course, it'll be the longest one of all So far, its at a surprising 10 pages, and still going. So, hopefully, I can get it finished, but I have a birthday party to get prepared for! Ja ne! 


	18. Final

- 18 -  
  
A week went by, then another. Almost too quickly, three months had come and went. Already, everyone was restless and uneasy.  
  
"What did she say?" Lance asked quietly, pulling Misty and Paran away. Looking toward May, Paran frowned.  
  
"Well...." she started, hooking her arm through Fox's, "the doctor said May is very close to losing the baby...too close, in fact."  
  
"Yes...she said it had to do with stress and strain, I think," Misty added. Lance sighed.  
  
"This whole situation is endangering..." Paran nodded. Lance's eyes widened. "What in the name of hell...!"  
  
Misty quickly turned around, to look at May. She was pulling her cloak on, as she walked over to the table and grabbed her dagger. "What are you doing?!" Paran asked.  
  
May looked at them, her eyes narrowed. "What do you think?" she snapped, pulling the hood up to cover her hair and face, "I need to go find him."  
  
Frowning, they looked at each other. It was much too obvious to them that 'him' meant Ash. Fox gripped Paran around the waist, shaking his head in warning. "Let Lance or Misty handle this one," he whispered softly.  
  
Lance gently took hold of May's arm, and pulled back. "May, that would mean searching all of Kanto for him!" Lance said, his voice calm.  
  
"And? If I don't, I'll of lost him forever." May looked at him, her stare angry.  
  
"You walk out that door, and both are lost!" Lance finally snapped out, "We all know damned well Ash will put up a fight against coming here, and you leaving Indigo will just be putting a seal on that baby's death!"  
  
Misty, Paran, and Fox froze in place. A nerve seemed to have been struck; May's expression of anger melted to the almost normal sadness. She dropped the dagger to the floor, where its sheath clattered along with the blade. "I had hoped none of us would have had to do that," Misty said, frowning again.  
  
Lance staggered back, when May jumped full-force into him, clinging to him. "We have the cities on alert already, just so we know if he's fine or not," Fox suddenly said, "And didn't they just give a report yesterday?"  
  
"A small one...just that everything seems to be, er....normal." Misty rolled her eyes. "In other words, Ash is being as distant with everyone and everything as possible."  
  
"We'll find a way to get him to come back," Lance said, looking at May, "even if it means going out there myself and dragging him."

* * *

"Ok, you called us in here why?" Gazelle asked, rolling her eyes. Lance glared at her. He had called a meeting between the Elite Four (or what was left of it) and the Rebellion, and they all had just settled down in the conference room.  
  
"To make a plan to find Ashura," Misty replied, staring at her. Lt. Surge sat forward, his arms on the table.  
  
"Find him? He still hasn't contacted you all?" Lt. Surge said, his eyes widening. Lance nodded.  
  
"Nothing. He's being stubborn, like normal, but this time it'll end up costing him and May if we don't find him," Lance sighed. All of them frowned. There was silence for several minutes, before anyone said anything.  
  
"I take it...the doctor had bad news?" Duplica asked. Lance and Misty nodded.  
  
"Very bad news. If it keeps up, she could loose the baby..." Misty said. They all gasped.  
  
"Well, why not just send a search party?" Gazelle rolled her eyes. "Anyone smart would think of that."  
  
Lance glared at her. "A search party? Are you mad? Ash would obliterate them!"  
  
"Actually..." Erika finally spoke up, "That's not a half bad idea. If you go, along with Misty or Duplica and take a psychic with..."  
  
Misty smiled. "We could find him, and possibly be able to get through to him! Yes, that just might work!"  
  
"A psychic though? I can understand the others, but...a psychic?" he asked, frowning. Misty and Erika nodded, looking at him.  
  
"Of course, so you can track him, at least mentally anyway," Gazelle said. Everyone looked at her. "What?"  
  
"Well...it could work, except for one minor detail," Lance sighed, shaking his head. The phone rang, causing them all to jump. Lt. Surge quickly put it onto speakerphone.  
  
"Hello?! Are you there?!" Paran's panicked voice said. Lance and Misty looked at each other, and frowned.  
  
"Yes, we are here," Erika replied, leaning forward. Duplica looked around at them, before looking at the phone.  
  
"We have a problem!"  
  
"What is it? What's wrong?" Misty asked, her frown deepening. The room was silent for a moment, before Paran responded.  
  
"May! I was in the kitchen making lunch, and I went in her bedroom to make sure she was all right...well, she was gone!" she said.  
  
"WHAT?" Both Lance and Misty stood up in alarm, staring at the phone. There was a sigh, then silence before Paran continued.  
  
"I looked for her pokemon, and they were gone too! So, I went to see if her dagger was still on the table in the living room, and it was, that's the odd thing!" Duplica laughed, leaning back into her chair. Both the Rebellion and Lance stared at her.  
  
"Huh? She tried to trick you! Leaving her dagger there would make it look like she went out for a bit, and that was it." They exchanged a shocked look. "What, you think I'm not smart enough to pick apart a situation?"  
  
Lance smiled. "I must admit, I thought she possibly had...well, let's get out there and find her now."

* * *

"None of them get it...either way, I'm screwed!" Lucia's ears bent back, and she frowned. May looked at her distraught pokemon, before sighing. "Don't tell me you agree with them?!"  
  
Lucia looked up at her, and whimpered. May looked at her, keeping a tight hold on Articuno's neck. She looked up, when it started raining gently. "I don't care what they say, we're going to make it through this, no matter what!" she said, "Fiona, land!"  
  
Fiona made a sweet, melodic squawk, before doing into a small dive towards the ground. Flapping her wings, she landed gracefully amongst the trees. Returning Fiona to the pokeball, May quickly got up behind one of the trees and sat down on the ground. "All we have to do now is find him."

* * *

Ash looked up. He was wrapped up in his cloak, with Pikachu sitting on his lap. "Something isn't right..." he said, "I don't know what it is though...or why."  
  
Pikachu tilted his head, and looked up at his Master and friend. Ash sighed, looking up into the tree branches sadly. "Chuu?"  
  
"Maybe we should go look around...it might be something around here." He shooed Pikachu off, before standing up and pulling his cloak up over his shoulders, and clipping it. "Let's get to it before the sun sets."

* * *

"Come here, girl..." the man growled, prowling through the trees. He had just enough pokemon to equal May's, and to keep them busy for a while. "You know you can't hide from me..."  
  
May bit her tongue to keep from saying anything, and crawled into a hollow tree. She stayed back, hoping he wouldn't notice the tree... Holding back a cry, May felt the tree shake as he leaned against it to rest. She shuddered.  
  
She thought he had finally left after several minutes. May quietly went to get out, when the man appeared in front of the tree, smirking. "I told you," he said, "you can't hide from me."  
  
Growling, he swung the dagger he was holding, slicing her across the arms. May glared at him, and whistled loudly. He stared at her, as if she where insane.  
  
There was a cry of anger behind him, and two separate Ice Beams struck him in the back, along with an Ice Punch and Thundershock. He fell over, knocked out from the attack, if not killed. Fiona, Dewgong, Sneasel, and Lucia all stood nearby, looking worst for the wear and quite disgruntled.  
  
Pushing the stranger out of the way May crawled out of the hole to be tackled by her pokemon. "Oh, thank you!" she said, hugging them back, "Fiona, Atlantic, Ira, return."  
  
The three pokemon returned to their pokeballs. Lucia jumped up onto her head, ready to continue on. "This is going to take some time to heal," she said, looking at the gashes on her arms from the dagger.  
  
"Pikachu, pi!" Lucia said disapprovingly. May sighed. She looked at the small pokemon.  
  
"I know, I know..."

* * *

"Piikkaachuuu!" Ash skidded to a stop, his boot heels dug into the ground. Pikachu fell out of his pack, staring around dizzily. "Chuu."  
  
Ash sighed. "What now?" he asked, picking Pikachu up and walking to get out of the rain. "It better be important."  
  
Pikachu stared at Ash, his ears bent back. The small Shadow pokemon needn't even say a word to tell Ash what he thought. "...well...you're right. No matter, I'd be useless by the time we found out what happened if I kept it up, so we'll just stay here."  
  
Looking around at the surrounding area, Ash frowned. "How far have we come anyway!?" he asked.  
  
He glared at Pikachu, who had fallen over in a fit of laughter. It took several seconds for the pokemon to regain itself, hanging onto Ash's shoulder to keep stable. "What is so funny?...Oh."  
  
They had, by chance, went a little over a mile. Ash sighed and sat down to rest using his cloak to keep the rain off. "I can normally run farther then that..." he said, "Must be the fact I've not had to do this for a bit of time that's got me worn out already."  
  
Pikachu shrugged, before sliding down onto Ash's lap. "Chuu."

* * *

May felt the rain start coming down, as she walked with Lucia. She held her arm close to her chest, the wound still heavily bleeding. "This isn't right!" she said, "It should have stopped by now!"  
  
Lucia's ears and tail drooped down. She grabbed the pokeball holding Fiona, and let her out. "I...really don't feel so good."  
  
Stretching her wings out, Fiona looked at May curiously. Wincing, May carefully got up on the ice bird's back with Lucia, and wrapped her uninjured arm around Fiona's neck.  
  
"Pikachu!" Lucia yelled, shaking May fearfully. She feared that the excessive bleeding could kill her friend...  
  
"I'm...I'm all right," May said, looking at the pikachu. Fiona, with a flap of her wings, sped up her flight. Lucia's ears shot up straight, as she felt the familiar Shadow energy somewhere nearby.  
  
"Chuuu, pika!" Lucia cried at Fiona, crawling up to her head. "Pikapi!"  
  
May watched her two pokemon talking, before slowly going unconscious. Lucia looked at her, before panicking. She once again sensed out the energy and used most of her remaining energy to trace it.  
  
Fiona took the hint and lowered closer to the trees, and sped up, letting Lucia look around at the tree tops into the forest below for any sign of movement or life. "Pika!"

* * *

Pikachu yawned, curled up warmly on Ash's lap, who had only minutes before fallen asleep, his head tilted to the side and frowning. It was once again a rarity to see him even give a hint of a smile.  
  
After several moments, the silence was broken by a loud screech. A bird of some sort was flying over the treetops. Pikachu looked up at it, before his eyes widened. That was an articuno. "PIKAPI!"  
  
Mumbling, Ash sleepily opened his eyes into slits, looking at Pikachu. In turn, Pikachu started jumping and pointing up at the articuno franticly. Yawning, Ash rubbed his eyes, before looking up. He took a double take. "Articuno? What the hell?"  
  
Without even thinking about it, Ash quickly got up, Pikachu falling onto the ground. "Chu!"  
  
"Sorry, Pikachu...Articuno!" Ash called up at it. The articuno didn't even take notice of the call. "Huh? Why is...Fiona."  
  
Ash jumped, when Fiona looked down at him right after he had said her name. Pikachu jumped back up onto his shoulder, and waved its small paws. "What in the world, why is Fiona here and not with...oh no, she didn't!"  
  
Lucia looked over Fiona's head at the ground below, and spotted the two of them. Ash sighed exasperatedly, watching Fiona as she hovered in the air. "Fiona, Lucia, come down here."  
  
Ignoring the rain splashing him in the face, Ash continued to watch as Fiona slowly but steadily lowered down to the ground, until her claws touched the earthy surface. She pulled her wings back against her sides, and made a small sad tune.  
  
"Oh...no, you can't be hurt, no..." Ash jumped up onto Fiona's back roughly, hurting the ice pokemon when his boots hit. "Er, sorry..."  
  
"Pikaaachu?" both Lucia and Pikachu said, when Ash lifted up his unconscious wife. Ash frowned, looking at the pained expression on her face, but whether it was from mental or physical pain, he couldn't tell. His entire expression changed from worry to panic within seconds, when he saw that one of the sleeves was cut and bloodstained.  
  
Ash pulled back the cloth, and looked at the still bleeding gashes. "How long has she been bleeding?!" he yelled at Lucia, pulling his gloves off.  
  
Lucia whimpered. Pikachu frowned, and mentally sent the answer. "An hour?! Why didn't you make her go to a hospital or something?! May's bleeding to death!" Ash snapped, tossing the gloves aside and carefully adjusting both his and May's position so her back would be against his front, and used one arm to hold her upright. "My healing...it could just hurt her more...but either way it's a risk..."  
  
Going stiff, Ash put his other hand over the gash running along her arm, and forced his healing to go into affect. The wounds closed up slowly, the bleeding stopped and skin healing over the gashes. When it was all finished, all that was left was pink skin where the cuts had been.  
  
Sighing, Ash carefully jumped down from Fiona's back, and lifted May off. He sat down once again under the tree, and pulled May up so he was holding onto her. Shivering slightly, Ash wrapped his cloak around both himself and her. Lucia and Pikachu both curled up next to them.  
  
Several moments went by in silence. Fiona moved over to use her wing to stop the rain from hitting them. Ash shook his head, trying to stay awake and alert. His eyes had already began to feel heavy, since he hadn't actually slept in four days, except for the odd hour long nap here and there when he couldn't stay awake any longer.  
  
May latched onto Ash, frowning. Blinking her eyes, she stared at his chest, quietly. "Ash?" she asked.  
  
He looked at her. "Are you alright?" Ash asked, hugged her closer, and kissing the top of her head.  
  
"Well..." May said, looking at him, "I could be better, I suppose. Except that someone is being a brat at the moment."  
  
Ash frowned, and leaned back against the tree, looking thoughtfully at May. She was still pale from the loss of blood, but it looked like the color was returning to her cheeks slowly. "I'm not putting them in danger, and I'm not putting you in danger either, and me returning would do just that. I've already killed one person, I don't want to hurt another."  
  
May stared at him for a few seconds, before making any reply. "Killed one person? Misty?" she asked.  
  
He cringed, answering the question without even saying anything. May looked at Lucia and Pikachu, both of which where up and watching them. She hugged Ash, rocking back and forth gently. "You do know," May said, "you didn't hurt Misty. She is very much alive and well."  
  
There was silence, before Ash finally looked at May, his eyes widened. "What?"  
  
She sighed. "Ash, your little fight with Kiall didn't kill Misty, or anyone for that matter. Her cloak got caught on a bush and it tore! She's in Indigo right now actually."  
  
Pikachu looked up at them, waiting along with Lucia for the reaction. Ash bit his lower lip. If Misty was all right...and no one was hurt, that meant... "...I endangered you for being a damned idiot."  
  
May sat on his lap quietly, staring Ash in the eyes. She took a deep breath, and sighed. "You did what you thought was right. No one can be angry at you for that."  
  
Ash frowned at her. "But you're losing the baby."  
  
Both Lucia and May's eyes widened. "How could you know that?!" she asked, leaning forward.  
  
"Um...I don't know..." Ash's expression changed to worried. "It doesn't matter how I know, the point is you are! And it's my fault!"  
  
"If I do miscarry, we'll still have time to try again! And it's not like she'll know the difference, she hasn't been born yet!" May said, hugging him. "Get real, not everything is your fault. I didn't have to come look for you! If anything, it'll be my fault for not listening to Lance and them and leaving!"  
  
He stared at her. "You...Lance said...WHY?!"  
  
May fell over, onto her back on the ground next to Ash. She mock-glared at him- at that point, she couldn't actually get mad at him. "Either way I was screwed, Ash," she replied softly, "Do you know how miserable I felt? I wanted to die, Ash. I don't like it when you leave like this..."  
  
Ash frowned, hurrying to get up and hug May, who had started crying. He rocked back and forth, staring at the sky. The rain had gotten heavier, and Fiona was fidgeting. 'I have got to fix all of this...'  
  
Using his cloak as a shield, Ash pulled May to standing. "What...?"  
  
"I've done so much damage..." he muttered, motioning for Fiona to get down. Pikachu and Lucia jumped up, and waited for them on Fiona's back. "No more..."  
  
"Wait a minute, what are you up to?" May asked, looking at Ash. He shook his head.  
  
"Fixing the mess I've made." Ash helped her climb up onto Fiona's back, before doing so himself. "To Indigo!"

* * *

"This is impossible...we have been out for three days already!" Misty sighed, "How could she get so far away?"  
  
"With Fiona? May could manage to get to Lavender Town in a day if they tried hard enough," Lance replied, leaning back against the log. "Then again...what in hell?"  
  
A shadow had abruptly fell over them then vanished. "What was that?" Paran asked, looking up. Fox looked up also, frowning.  
  
"A bird?" Lance suggested. Fox shook his head.  
  
"Only one of the legendary birds could throw a shadow like that," Misty commented. Lance, Paran, and Fox looked at each other, then at Misty. "....Fiona."  
  
They jumped up and got back onto the Ponyta's they borrowed from the Pokemon League, and went at a gallop in the direction the ice bird went. "This is unreal!" Paran called out to them, "What is going on with her?"  
  
"Who knows," Lance said, staring up and at the legendary Master Pokemon of Ice. He let go of the reins, and shot a Hyper Beam at an angle where it would go past but not hit anything. "Hopefully Fiona will know what that is..."  
  
They stopped and watched, as Fiona moved slightly to the left, away from the energy beam, before turning in their direction, and looking around. Their eyes widened.  
  
Fiona was just close enough to where they could see who was with her, or at least if someone was. "May...I can't believe it..." Lance gasped, staring up.  
  
Two people had appeared, looking around Fiona's neck to see what was going on. Paran kicked her ponyta in the side, and the fire pokemon neighed and rushed forward. "May!" she yelled, looking up at the bird, "Ash!"  
  
The ice bird seemed to look down, before going into a shallow dive into the trees. Paran watched Lance, Misty, and Fox ride up to her, their ponyta's panting. "Where did they go?" Fox asked.  
  
"Over there somewhere," Paran replied, pointing toward the general direction of Fiona. They looked at each other, before quickening their pace.  
  
Within minutes they came to the clearing Fiona had landed in. May slid down off her back, landing with a thud on her feet. "What are you guys doing out here?!"  
  
"We came to look for you!" Paran said, climbing down off the ponyta, along with the others. Misty sighed, and ran forward, grabbing May by the arms.  
  
"You shouldn't have ran off like that! Something could have happened to you!" she said, checking May over. Ash jumped off of Fiona, scowling.  
  
"Like I would let anything happen to her? Pfft." They looked at him. Ash sighed. "What? You all look like you've seen a ghost."  
  
May laughed. "Well, I don't think they expected me to be able to actually find you. I'm shocked myself, actually!"  
  
Lance and Fox looked at each other. "Not asking," they muttered.  
  
Ash looked at the group. "So?" he said, "Can we please just go to Indigo or something?"  
  
"Hold up, hold up...who died? What happened to you?" Misty interrupted. Ash frowned at her.  
  
"What happened to me? Nothing...I've just been talking to May..." They looked at each other skeptically. "I did!"  
  
"And now you're all happy? What could you possibly talk about to make you happy?" Fox asked, stating everyone's question. Ash scowled.  
  
"About my past, alright? I just told her everything...even the things I thought I had been able to just forget..." he said, sitting down on the ground next to May, "And I'm just happy to see you all...it can't be that unusual, I wasn't that morbid!"  
  
Misty rolled her eyes, before smiling at him. "Oh, yes you where sometimes," Misty teased.  
  
May sat down behind Ash, and hugged him. "I like it when he's happy," she said into his shoulder blades. They looked at her. There was silence for a few minutes, before anyone responded.  
  
"Well, how about we go to Indigo now?" Lance asked. Everyone nodded. Ash helped May up and back onto Fiona, before getting up himself.  
  
"It'll be nice to see the house again." Ash laid down on his back, closing his eyes. He relaxed, when he felt May beside him.  
  
"Yes...and this time, you aren't walking out on all of us again!" May said, teasingly. Ash smiled, before actually laughing. It felt almost foreign to him.  
  
"I guess I won't be...not even if the League somehow resurrects and attacks us all again. You all are stuck with me this time."

* * *

AN: -cries- Final chapter. ;-; I know, the ending sucks XD and that you all are wondering about the baby. ill make a short fanfic or something later maybe, or make a prologue on the sequel...when I write it, which will not be immediately this time. Well, until then ja ne! 


End file.
